Language Developement

i dont know where you are located, but ti think ity is in a lot of places, there is a thing called soonerstart, that comes to your house and tests your doughter and will let you know where she is campared to otheres her age, and if she needs help they come and help you. they come to your house so she is comfortable in her own enviroment, my daughter went trough it, i was very happy with the people and help.

Hi there, I am an early interventionist myself (birth-3 year olds). Usually children will increase single word use by 15-18 months and use phrases by 18-24 months. It sounds like your daughter is right on track and you are doing great! Before you know it... in about 3-6 months she will be talking (nonstop in her own way). I have 2 girls and when they both learned to talk...game on, nonstop, lol. Continue singing, reading with her, and carry on conversations. The more words we give them early on... the easier it will be to acquire these skills. Also, try children's books and novels (Charlotte's Web) on tape or CD. SHe can listen to it around the house while playing or in the car. It can really enrich her language even if she though she may not fully understand (or pay attention0. Just some food for thought...keep up the good work.

She sounds like she is already coming along great! Just read to her lots, speak to her like a person (no baby talk), call things by their correct names, sing songs. Before you know it she'll be talking nonstop and you'll miss the quiet. Enjoy your time with her.

Check out this article from parents magazine for tips on language development.

http://www.parents.com/baby/development/intellectual/9-wa...

She'll continue with single words for awhile more. You'll probably notice a shift into sentences after 18mo.

Developmentally for a 13 month old she sounds like she is right on track. There is something that we refer to in the field that is called a "Language Explosion" which usually happens between 18-24 months of age, it may happen earlier or later depending on your child. This is when they almost magically overnight begin saying many words and using small sentences.

You are doing very good things to help with language such as naming things for her when she points to them. Reading to her is also a great way to teach language skills, use picture books that are simple, such as the colors and the name of the color, or animals or objects with their names, try not to go into very intricate story telling, you want to keep it simple and keep her attention.

Sign language can be taught very young and gives children a way to communicate before they can speak. This keeps them from getting frustrated when asking for something or trying to communicate something to you.
You will find they will start saying the words with the sign before long.

It depends on the child...my son talked very early and my daughter was closer to 2 years of age before she really talked alot...she sounds like your little girl...she understood and soaked it all in...but lemme tell ya...when she starts talking it will be full force and all the time... i definitly wouldn't worry!

Dear S.,
All moms can't wait till there little ones start to actually talk. I have experianced being a mother of 4 that every kid does this their own way and on there own time 13 months is about the beginning of where they start to realize there is more ways to communicate. One thing I will say is don't "baby talk" to her. When she starts saying words and pronunces them funny like saying "dock" but meaning "duck" say ya, baby that is a duck so that she picks up on the right way to say it yet knows that she is on the right track. Another big thing that I am experiancing right now is older children have a big influance. I have a 2 and 1/2 year old at home and a 1 and 1/2 year old and I work with them on the same leaval and because my oldest knows how to say everything under the sun my youngest has learned to communicate verry well and is saying more and more every day. Talk to her constantly just like she is an adult while you are making dinner tell her (even if she aint paying any attention) now mommy is gonna put a half cup of butter in the corn. When you get her dressed say now I am gonna put your sock on you left foot- or count the buttons while snapping up her jammies, when your giving a bath say ok now lets wash your back. As a result of all this my oldest daughter can now count to 22 and knows every part on her body sings songs and communicates better than some 4 year olds and the youngest can count to 6 knows the basic parts to her body knows all the farm animal names and can sing ring around the rosie and rock a bye baby. Your communication with her is the key!

Your daughter sounds like she is right on track. I thought I'd let you know some information that my pediatrician gave me- as my three kids developed very differntly from one another. Language development (and cognitive development, in general) often slows when the child is at a significant physical milestone. So, when a child is learning to walk and run, you may notice that language development slows while their brain concentrates on the physical.

Also, as her language skills develop, you may find your daughter may be very frustrated, at times. She will know what she wants, but not know how to say it. This often results in behaviors like hitting the pantry door and screaming when she wants a cracker or banging on the fridge when she wants some juice. My pediatrician suggested calmly requiring that the child "use their words" in these situations. Otherwise, they will very quickly learn that banging and crying gets them what they want.

Finally, remember that every child develops at a different pace. There are averages, but there are very large variations from the average that are normal. My first child was talking a blue streak with long complicated sentences by 20 months. But, my second child was over two before we could get her to use phrases and sentences. I was very worried - but she is now a perfectly normal 9 year old. They just had different developmental patterns. (The second one was VERY physical! She had no time to "waste" learning how to talk!)

Enjoy this stage!! You finally get to know what they are thinking. It is a wonderful time to be a mom.

Get BabyTalk. Babies and toddlers in this program end up scoring high all-around. (They've done lots of long-term studies.)

Have fun with her!

L.