Doctors Say Assessing Speech Delays is Vital
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Article Courtesy of TheNYTimes.com“>
Every pediatrician knows the frustration of trying to quantify the speech and language skills of a screaming toddler. How many words can he say? Can she put two or more words together into a sentence? Can people besides you understand him when he talks? Questions like these, put to the parents, are the quick and somewhat crude yardsticks we often use.
Crude or not, the assessment is crucial: the earlier it is made, the earlier the speech-delayed child can get some help, and the earlier the help, the better the prospects.
“The physician who understands delayed speech understands child development,” said Dr. James Coplan, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician in Rosemont, Pa., who created the Early Language Milestone Scale to measure children’s language from birth to age 3.
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Great backyard summer treat for the kids. Frozen fruit pops on a stick. 
Comment by Shannon Sadler on Feb 09 2010 10:44:01:
Have to disagree with this one. I am afraid doctors are just trying to alarm parents unnecessarily. Any delay in one area and under the age of three should not be alarming. Minor delays often resolve themselves before kindergarten. Three to five year olds with serious multiple delays should be assessed. The old saying that each child is unique and should be treated as such rings true.