Step 7: Signs to Watch For

The following are all possible warning signs that something might be wrong:

• Learning to talk more slowly than other children of the same age
• Unusual difficulty understanding simple instructions or requests
• Speech or language sounds that are unusual, compared with other children of the same age
• Unusual difficulty being understood – even by members of your family
• Frustration or what you might think ‘ bad behaviour’ as a child tries to make themselves understood
• Little or no eye contact
• Difficulty paying attention to things that adults point to and talk about

You can  compare your child’s speech and language with what most other children the same age are able to do. The chart on pages 11-12 of Afasic Scotland’s ‘Information for Parents‘ guide may help with this (Fig. 2).

At the same time, it’s important to remember that different children develop language at very different rates. Sometimes there are simple things we can do to support a problem and overcome it, other times we need more targeted interventions and therapeutic support. Key message; if in doubt, get in touch – don’t wait.