Parents concerned by their child's lack of speech or language skills need not be alarmed suggests the AAAS as sometimes this is purely down to a child being a 'slow learner'. However, sometimes it can be due to hearing problems, autism or perhaps other medical related problems.

There is a test designed to measure a child's ability to speak, it is called the 'Language Development Survey'. Professor Leslie Rescorla who designed the test says: 'If children don't use many of these words by 24 months, they may be late talkers.

Professor Rescorla of Bryn Mawr College Pennsylvania, has followed the progress of 78 two year olds for over 15 years has noted various changes to the speech patterns of young children and the things parents can look at to help improve the situation, such as speech therapy.

At the recent Annual Conference for the AAAS, delegates heard that television, video games and the radio were not substitutes for speech development associated with parents. A mother or father are pivotal to a child's learning and development, moreover, this requires patience and determination on the parents' part to help guide their children.

Speaking at the conference, Professor Rescorla said: 'Children really need to have people talk to them in order for them to aquire a language - they really need language partners.'

Key words a child should know by the age of two: baby, mummy, daddy, bye bye, hello, dog, cat, hi, nose, eye, milk, juice, thank you, hot, car, gone, more.

 

Published: 19th February 2012 2034 GMT

By: Baby & Father reporter