How do You Know if Your 1-Year-Old Needs Speech and Language Therapy?

What should my 1-year-old be doing?

Have questions about your child’s speech and language development? I’ve had several parents come in recently and tell me something along the lines of “I just didn’t know my child should be doing X by now until I saw what other kids their age were doing.” I have heard this from both first time parents and parents with multiple kiddos at home.

Trust your gut, mama. We can say this about a lot of different areas, but it’s true. Usually if you have questions or an instinct, you have it for a reason!

If you have questions about your child’s speech and language abilities or are wondering what on earth is considered typical for their age, you have to start with the milestones.

If you are a new parent and not familiar with the term, developmental milestones are exactly what they sound like – skills your child should be developing or exhibiting by a certain age. As therapists, this is where we start.

They should be doing _____ by now, but are they doing _____?

So your not-so-tiny-anymore baby is a 1-year-old. Congratulations! You just went through a whole year of major development where it probably seemed like everything happened so fast, and every day brought new changes. But what now? They will continue to grow, change, develop, and learn new concepts daily.

What does this major growth look like as they are transitioning from babies to toddlers and how can you be there to help support them along the way?

Check out these milestones from the American Speech Hearing Language Association to help your know if your little one is on track!

Does my child need speech or language therapy?

Parents, be knowledgeable about these milestones! Yes, this is our job as therapists. But having a basic knowledge of skills your child should be doing is something that may provide you with peace of mind, or may prompt you to reach out to an SLP or local clinic to ask a few questions or schedule an evaluation.

“But they’re so little.”

Just Going to Leave This Here

I have seen several little ones between the ages of 1-2 for therapy. Some of them who had just turned 1. Some of them before they turned 1. Some who are closer to 2 years and are still not babbling when they should be using 2-word phrases. Sometimes as a parent – and especially if they’re your first – you might be timid to approach pursing therapy or think something along the lines of “they’re too little.” They’re not! If your child is not exhibiting or developing these skills, ask your questions. Pursue an evaluation and if recommended, start therapy now. Most likely, you will thank yourself for this later.

If you’re still unsure, sign up here for access to my “Freebies Library” and look for “5 Questions to Ask Yourself: 1-2 Years” for help to ask yourself the right questions to determine if your child needs a speech and language evaluation.

Still on the fence or have questions? Feel free to leave a comment – I’m happy to help! I love working with this age and supporting you as parents with your families along the way.