Search Results for: blog speech three to four years

Making the Most of the Preschool Years

I know that I often write about parenting and life with teenagers, but I do have some recollection of the preschool years as well. And what I don’t remember, I also have friends who still have wee ones to bring back all those glorious (and challenging) days with preschoolers under foot. Looking back and trying to get the whole thing in perspective, I think there are ways to make the most of those preschool years… I know when you are in the midst of the chaos and defiance and temper tantrums, it seems like it will never end. It is … Continue reading →

Speech: Three to Four Years

At age three your child should have a vocabulary of 300-500 words. He’ll be speaking in complete sentences of five to six words. You’ll find that he uses voice inflection and imitates adult speech. Children at this age are often chatterboxes. But don’t discourage their use of speech they are practicing and learning. You’ll often hear your pet phrases coming out of their mouths or comments that you don’t want repeated. So it is important to watch what you say as a parent. A stranger should be able to understand most of what your child says. But up to half … Continue reading →

Speech: Two to Three Years

Between your child’s second and third birthday you will see a speech explosion as your child’s vocabulary grows from about 50 words to 400 words. She’ll start using sentences with more words. Instead of saying “More milk,” she’ll say, “I want more milk.” The use of pronouns will become common. He will start using language to express and communicate his desires, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. At this age your toddler should understand two-step commands. If you say, “Get your jacket and wait by the door,” he should be able to follow your instructions. It doesn’t mean that he sometimes won’t … Continue reading →

Speech: One to Two Years

Between the ages of one and two your child’s comprehension of language grows by leaps and bounds. You no longer have to wonder if he understands you because he will show you by his actions that he does. When you announce it’s time to go, you’ll find him getting his shoes or waiting by the door. If you ask if she wants a snack she’ll respond yes or no. During this time your child should start being able to follow simple commands such as “Give me your cup,” and answer questions like “Where is your nose?” Although your child may … Continue reading →

Speech: Birth to 12 months

Babies begin by hearing other people make sounds. In the beginning the tone and pitch of the voice is most important. If your voice is calm and soothing your baby is comforted. It is important that you vary the pitch and tone of your voice so your child learns voice inflection. By about 4 months he is starting to listen to the actual sounds that you are making. At this age a child usually start to babble, trying to imitate the sounds she hears you make. When your child makes a sound listen to him and talk to him throughout … Continue reading →

Child Speech and Language Development

Many parents wonder is my child’s speech developing normally? Does my child understand everything she should? Review the following general guidelines for speech and language development and find out if your child is on track. 6 months Babbling and using a number of different sounds like ma, da, ba, etc. Responds to his name Responds to human voices by turning his head Responds to the tone of the voice whether friendly or angry 12 months Uses one or more words with meaning (the same word is used to mean the same thing each time), may be a word fragment such … Continue reading →

Study Links Early Exposure to Anesthesia With Learning Problems

A study done by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that kids who received anesthesia before the age of two are at an increased risk for learning disabilities. The FDA, however, feels that there might be other factors influencing this result. A new study was led by Randall Flick, MD, at the Mayo Clinic. The researchers found that kids who had surgery that required the use of anesthesia before the age of two were twice as likely to end up with learning disabilities, (when compared to children who did not have anesthesia before they turned two years … Continue reading →

Reluctant Parents?

The other day I was dashing through the aisles of the grocery store desperately trying to find peanut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, yet highly nutritional individually wrapped snacks, which tasted good enough that the kids in my daughter’s first grade class would actually eat them. I narrowed my search to the Fruit Roll-Up/Gushers/Fruit by the Foot aisle and stood alongside a little boy who was busily scaling shelves. His parents were no where in sight. After five minuets of watching the kid scatter fruit snack boxes around like they were mini cardboard blocks I softly asked him if he knew where his … Continue reading →

Tony Snow Loses Battle with Cancer

The insidious disease that has affected nearly all of us in some way, shape or form has claimed yet another life. This time it’s Tony Snow. A 53-year-old husband and father of three children, who rose to fame on national TV as a Fox News anchor and then as President Bush’s press secretary. According to reports, Snow died of colon cancer early this morning. The tall and lanky Kentucky native served as the first host of the television news program “Fox News Sunday” from 1996 to 2003. He later left that job to replace Scott McClellan as press secretary in … Continue reading →

George Carlin Dies

George Carlin the famously laid-back bearded, ponytailed comedian whose use of foul language made him a hit with fans and a target for critics died of heart failure late today. He was 71. According to Carlin’s publicist, the funnyman who stand-up act was immortalized in his “Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV” routine had a history of heart trouble. Reports say Carlin walked into a California hospital this afternoon complaining of chest pain and died a few hours later. The unapologetically irreverent comedian constantly took aim at people who tried to regulate his routine. When Carlin debuted his … Continue reading →