Any good development charts for skills, bar graph perhaps

I am looking for a good chart that shows the RANGES for when babies/toddlers should start milestones. I'm in particular interested in talking and language skills.

I found one that was great... that showed the range from when the earliest to the LATEST that is normal, with color coding as to when concerns should be brought up (i.e. started out green on the left, then turned red at the right of each bar.) It even explained that babies born 4 weeks early (from 40 weeks) or earlier should have their age adjusted by 4 weeks (or how many weeks they were born early) as to when milestones should be met. Unfortunately, now I can't find it. I'm looking for the one I described or a similar one.

I HATE the charts that say 'by this age, most babies/kids do X'. they have huge jumps in time and don't say how much of a delay is 'normal', and they also don't explain the age-adjustment for preemies. I thought I'd ask here as many twins are preemies.

If anyone knows of the chart I described above, or a similar one, please let me know. I'm in particular interested in language skills.

 

this isn't the chart I was thinking of... but its kinda cool...

http://www.babycenter.com/toddler-milestones

I think it will be neat for me to look at just to see what they could possibly do... I see at 15 mo. they talk about walking backwards... what? I've never even thought of that?! I know at our 18 mo. well baby visit the doctor asked 2 major questions... 1. can they kick a ball? (well... I'm not a big ball kicker... and haven't nurtured that... didn't know it was going to be a "test" item...) and 2. can they draw. again, I didn't know that was going to be a "test item"... and all they do at this point is want to bite on the crayons/pencils... so i don't do much drawing with them. but I guess now that I "know" these are great skills to learn I'll be trying to get them to do more things they haven't tried before.

just take it all with a grain of salt... ours do some of the skills at their age, and some of the older ones, but not some of the younger ones...

 

http://www.babycenter.com/0_warning-signs-of-a-toddlers-language-delay_12293.bc

I did find the chart I was initially looking for... its a chart of warning signed of language delay... it does have a range on it. good luck to ya!

 

Thanks both! I think this second chart is more helpful as it shows 'warning signs'. I will post the one I was looking for if I can ever find it!

I was wondering because our 13 month olds are still not saying mama, dada appropriately, andf don't have words. babbling a lot yet. Our Dr. said it isn't a concern yet... she said she would only be concerned if they weren't babbling... but of course as a mama I'm worried silly about it.

 

I found it! The Early Language Milestone Scale-2. this one is in black and white, not color, but you can still make it out.

it kinda freaked me out a bit, but here it is.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/990600ap/3113_f1.gif

 

that's a neat chart you found.

as for the mama and dada... I think we finally got that well after 15 months. probably closer to 17 months or so. I still show the babies pictures of us, and ask where mama is or dada... and they don't point right... ah well... ours are doing well, but definitely haven't progressed to 2 word phrases yet at 19.5 months...

 

Am I reading that chart right? Does it really say that if a child can't say "mama" and "dada" correctly by 14 months it's a warning sign?? That is total BS. No wonder you're freaked out!!!

I have one son that is extremely advanced in language skills, and he is just now at 16 months beginning to say "mama" or "dada" correctly in context. I consider my other DS "average" for his age (and so does our ped), and he is very hit or miss with "mama" and "dada". They have lots of other words but a lot of them sound the same; we've taught them to sign as well so we can tell if "ba" is ball, banana, bottle, etc.

IMO, 13 months is WAY too young to label a child as delayed because they don't say a certain word. Every kid is different. My boys both said "dog" consistently MONTHS before they did the same with "mama" and "dada".

I think you need to close your browser, delete this link from your favorites, and clear your IE history so you can never find this chart again. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it makes me mad when "experts" try to homogenize our kids and worry us unnecessarily.

 

I agree that not every child fits into a mold... hopefully your pedi will give you some good guidance, and be able to assure you things are on the right track. a friend of mine's girl about the same age as our two was not really communicating well at all, and I'm not sure how it came about to the decision that she needed tubes in her hears, but at 19 months she got tubes up in her ears. She'd had lots of ear infections in the last year, and and lots of fluid... anyway, its only been a few day and she's already responding better and following instructions so much better. hopefully she starts talking more too... anyway all that is to say that every child is different with different circumstances. yes, our job is to be diligent to make sure we are helping them, but please don't get too freaked out.

yes, 13 mo. is toooo young to think its a huge warning sign to not be saying words.

every day ours seem to try to say more, they are 19 months and really starting to blossom. good luck.


p.s Valerie... loved your comment to just delete that link!

 

Well, I think that Jack said "dog" around 13-14 months, but mainly he just barked a lot. You would say "where's the doggy" and he'd go "woof woof". :laughing: They babbled a lot "mamamamama" "dadadada" from about 11-12 months, but I'm 99% sure it was just babbling, not really referring to anything in particular. Nate just started consistently saying "mama" when looking at me in the last week, but said other words before that.

I know that most peds expect kids to say "mama" and "dada" first, then other words, but it just didn't work that way for my guys. Maybe it's because we both work full-time and they see our dog more than they see us?

Do your boys understand you when you speak to them? Can they reach for a ball when you say "ball" or get excited when you say something they like (like "dog" or "banana")? I think that receptive language is much more important right now. If they comprehend nothing that you say, maybe you should bring your concerns up to your ped or look into EI. Otherwise, give them some time, they are sooo young!

This happened to my girlfriend's nephew; he was trying to talk but it was unintelligible because his hearing was so bad from repeated ear infections that he couldn't understand what people were saying to him. He got tubes and within a couple of weeks started to really speak clearly.

Hehe, I got pissed off for the OP. We have enough to worry about as parents. Arbitrary guidelines about what your kids "should" be doing are not helpful. All kids are different and do things at their own pace. Sometimes it's so tough to figure out what is okay for your child, and what is worthy of concern.

Man, parenting is the hardest thing in the world! I wish I'd known what I was signing up for!

 

[quote name='Nate and Jack's Mom' date='11 December 2009 - 09:38 AM' timestamp='1260542314' post='1527442']
Well, I think that Jack said "dog" around 13-14 months, but mainly he just barked a lot. You would say "where's the doggy" and he'd go "woof woof". :laughing: They babbled a lot "mamamamama" "dadadada" from about 11-12 months, but I'm 99% sure it was just babbling, not really referring to anything in particular. Nate just started consistently saying "mama" when looking at me in the last week, but said other words before that.

I know that most peds expect kids to say "mama" and "dada" first, then other words, but it just didn't work that way for my guys. Maybe it's because we both work full-time and they see our dog more than they see us?

Do your boys understand you when you speak to them? Can they reach for a ball when you say "ball" or get excited when you say something they like (like "dog" or "banana")? I think that receptive language is much more important right now. If they comprehend nothing that you say, maybe you should bring your concerns up to your ped or look into EI. Otherwise, give them some time, they are sooo young!



This happened to my girlfriend's nephew; he was trying to talk but it was unintelligible because his hearing was so bad from repeated ear infections that he couldn't understand what people were saying to him. He got tubes and within a couple of weeks started to really speak clearly.



Hehe, I got pissed off for the OP. We have enough to worry about as parents. Arbitrary guidelines about what your kids "should" be doing are not helpful. All kids are different and do things at their own pace. Sometimes it's so tough to figure out what is okay for your child, and what is worthy of concern.

Man, parenting is the hardest thing in the world! I wish I'd known what I was signing up for!
[/quote]


Thank you so much for your post. And yay Nate ;D

Probably a little too much info here....

I think they understand some of what we say. They understand SOME words... I think they know what their favorite toy balls are, (they'll pick them out if we say ball, but not sure if they understand all balls) and what books are (they have picked soft books out of a pile of toys) and I THINK they know what the cat is. They know the name of one of their favorite books (they sometimes get excited and crawl up to me when I say it). I don't know if they know who dada is, a few days ago I told A 'go get dada' he got excited and started crawling towards his dad, then promptly turned the corner and chased the cat. (did he think I was pointing to/asking him to get his dad, then got excited/distracted by the cat, or did he think I was pointing to/asking him to get the cat?) At one point we thought B was saying dada (at 11 months he said dada very slowly deliberately, smiled, then crawled up to his dad... but I don't think he's done this since, so maybe we were wrong..?) They get excited when we say bottle or milk. Besides that, I don't really know.

When did your boys start really saying words after dog?

I know at least one of our boys doesn't have a hearing problem, he got his hearing tested about a month ago. I went ahead and got this done... I was worried because he was non-responsive for about 2 weeks after they got the flu, and because it took THREE MONTHS for the appointment I thought I should keep it just in case...

One of them started mimicking 'no no no no' and shaking his finger, which their daycare provider does. I know they know what no means, but I don't know if he knows what he is saying when he does this... he does this out of the blue or when he's playing. When they don't want to do something, like have more food or get in their pajamas or have their diapers changed, they often shake their head which is sometimes accompanied with neeew neew neew neew neeew.... so I'm not sure if they are saying 'no' or not?

Their doctor said she would be concerned if they aren't saying words by 15 months. I actually called a speech pathologist yesterday, and she made me feel a LITTLE better. She told me that MOST of her patients (not all) caught up with therapy and MOST (not all) of her patients are not considered mentally retarded. (This made me feel better because I've read studies that suggest 50%+ of all language delays are due to some mental incapacity, usually mental retardation.)

She suggested I get them assessed so either 1) I can know if they are OK or 2) If there are concerns I can call EI and get them on the waiting list (she said can take up to 1-3 months for an assessment, and up to 3-6 months to start therapy!) so if there might be a problem we can start therapy and/ get a head start on the referral if they aren't where they should be in a month and a half. I want to get them assessed but the spouse and I disagree on this- very much so (I believe both of us feel very strongly in protecting and/or helping the boys and feel opposite about this).

We also have a family history of ADD and severe dyslexia, but I don't know/think this would have anything to do with speech development?

You are right, it is very tough to figure out what is OKAY for your child, and what is of concern. I wish I knew how helpless/depressed/emotional/helpless we can get when we disagree strongly with our partner in what we feel is best for our kids.... or am I alone in this?
Parenting IS hard, but I still think it is the best thing in the world

 

I am in no way an expert on this, but this sounds really good to me. I'm sure that A got distracted by the cat; this is so typical! But they know the cat, their favorite toys, a specific book, etc. I'm one of those anal parents who "test" their kids all the time..."go get the red ball", just to see what they understand. I'm usually surprised by how much they actually comprehend!

Nate has been repeating words for a while, but he wasn't really initiating words (other than "dog" or "mamamama" "dadadadada") without prompting until about 13 months. He said "driver" at 11 months, but that was with heavy coaching. Jack was more like 14-15 months for initiating words. But don't compare your boys to mine; Nate's particular talent is language. Jack's talents are more physical. Your boys have their particular talents too! Maybe they'll be great artists, or musicians; things that aren't readily apparent until later in life. Based on the fact that he won't shut up, Nate is going to be a politician.

Good to know about the hearing. My boys have scared the tar out of me by losing all affect and becoming non-responsive while working on physical milestones, being sick, or having a life-change (like a new nanny). Usually within 2 weeks they're back to normal. Didn't you say in another post that your boys are getting close to walking? I know that my chatterbox Nate stopped talking entirely for at least 2 weeks when he was learning how to walk. Went from a few words and babbling to literally nothing. I was petrified! After he worked out the walking he went back to babbling. Maybe your boys are focusing on the physical milestones right now and will start talking more once they've mastered walking!

And it's great they're imitating, which is the foundation of language! My guys now say "nah nah" all the time, but it's usually when they're going for a power cord, which is a big no-no in our house. I think they think the electrical outlets are called "no-nos". :lol:

Well, twins and boys often initiate language later than girls/singletons, and 99.9% of the time there is nothing wrong with their mental capacity!

I think you should get them assessed. It will put your mind at ease if they don't need intervention, or get them the assistance needed to address any problems. From reading this forum, I'm under the impression that lots of people at least get assessments, and it's always very reassuring to have true expert advice.

I don't know, but I doubt it. My niece is ADD and SEVERELY dyslexic, and she has no communication problems/delays. They only knew she was dyslexic when she couldn't learn to read.

ITA, parenting is the most rewarding thing in the world. It's a good thing I didn't know how hard it was, though, or I might have taken a pass!

I'm very lucky in that most of the time DH and I are on the same page. We do a lot of talking after the boys are in bed, hashing things out and coming to compromises, though. Maybe there is a compromise that you can come to with your DH about this issue? I take it that you are more concerned with potential delays than your DH, or want to be more proactive with intervention? If so, maybe you can agree to wait for 2 more months to see how the boys progress, and he can agree to get them assessed at that point if they haven't met some specifically designated milestones that you both agree on?

Anyway, sorry for the novel, and I'm sorry that you feel anxious about this. It's easy enough for someone on the Internet to say "don't worry", but I know how hard it is when you're concerned for your children. We all just want the best for them!

I really hope you get some information that gives you peace of mind, and/or your boys start talking up a storm. :hug:

 

another thing we do, (not sure if I mentioned it before)... but we do a little bit of sign language... and its VERY helpful to know that they do understand. I think the first things they started signing frequently was Dog and Cat! (so necessary!) but you just have to say the word Cat or Dog and they will sign it. They also will sign it when they see one. Its pretty cool that they are communicating before they are able to talk.

And the other thing I like is that it helps me understand their actual words. the latest ones we taught them are Shoes and Car. At this age, they seem to pick up the signs pretty quick.

Anyway, Eat, Water, More are essentials in our day.

Our friend that had the ear issues w/her dd was told to start using sign language with her daughter a couple of months ago - before they had the tubes done because she wasn't really communicating. I thought it was a great thing for me to hear that she was suggested to do that, and we've already been doing that. I think that the signing is helpful to initiating communication with our babes... their language will continue to get better and better.

I hope that you start seeing new learning! Its so fun to see their little minds at work. Ours really have blossomed in so many ways in the last few months!