Milestones From ASHA Can Help Parents and
Caregivers Track Their Child's Development in Areas of
Communication and Feeding and Swallowing
ROCKVILLE, Md.,
April 30,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A child's first word or their
first time eating from a spoon are events that most parents and
caregivers eagerly anticipate—just two of the many developmental
milestones that babies are expected to meet in their first year of
life. But knowing exactly when specific milestones should occur,
and whether delays in achieving them are cause for concern, can be
challenging for families. To help them, the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is providing a
series of new resources—just in time for National
Speech-Language-Hearing Month, which is recognized each
May in the United States.
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What to Expect: Tracking a Child's Development
Developmental milestones are behaviors or skills that
most children meet within a certain age range. These milestones
provide a roadmap of what to expect as children grow—and by doing
so, they can help parents and caregivers feel comfortable and
confident about how their child is progressing.
Milestones can also serve to alert families about a potential
developmental delay or disorder in their child. Missing one
milestone in an age range doesn't necessarily mean that the child
needs an evaluation. However, if a child lacks several skills, is
not learning new ones, or is losing skills that they once had, ASHA
encourages families to consult with the child's pediatrician and
visit an ASHA-certified audiologist or speech-language pathologist
for an evaluation.
ASHA Milestones and Resources
Last fall, ASHA issued new communication milestones for
children ages birth to 5 years, and new feeding and swallowing
milestones for children ages birth to 3 years. These
milestones provide the age ranges when a majority (at least 75%) of
children demonstrate particular skills.
The fact that each child develops differently, even within the
same family, is a key point that ASHA stresses. Skills develop over
time—not on a child's exact birthday. Consequently, ASHA's
milestones are provided in ranges, e.g., "4 to 6 months," "2 to 3
years."
Besides online checklists broken down by age—which were first
released in November 2023—ASHA is now providing additional
resources to guide families and for use by allied professionals.
They include printable handouts by age as well as quizzes
on communication and feeding development. ASHA
also has videos that feature experts speaking
on communication and feeding development.
Finding Help
The earlier a potential developmental delay or disorder is
addressed, the better. Although professional help is valuable at
any age, the ideal time window is during the brief period of life
when the brain is most flexible (birth to 3 years).
Families who have questions about their child's communication or
feeding development should trust their instincts and seek an
evaluation from an audiologist or speech-language pathologist
immediately. Audiologists are professionals who
diagnose and treat hearing and balance
disorders. Speech-language pathologists work with
people who have problems with speech, language, thinking, and
swallowing.
An evaluation doesn't necessarily result in intervention or
treatment. Often, families learn from an evaluation that their
child's development is on track. Having this confirmation can help
end unnecessary stress. However, if a
child is found to have a delay or disorder,
families can learn more about their options and set their child on
a helpful path. Intervention is not one-size-fits-all, and
families' preferences ultimately drive the approach to care.
Families can connect with their state's early intervention
program for an evaluation, ask their child's pediatrician to
recommend a local professional, or search the national ASHA
ProFind database to locate a certified audiologist or
speech-language pathologist.
For more information on ASHA's developmental milestones, and
tips about what can be done at home to encourage a child's
development, visit ASHA's website.
About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing
association for 234,000 members, certificate holders, and
affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists;
speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and
speech-language pathology assistants; and students. Audiologists
specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance
disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including
hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess,
and treat speech, language, and swallowing
disorders. www.asha.org
Media contact: Francine Pierson,
FPierson@asha.org
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SOURCE American Speech-Language-Hearing Association