For parents, one of the greatest thrills is hearing your baby say, “mama” or “dada” for the first time…and even more exciting to start communicating with them when they begin speaking with that adorable “baby talk” and beyond!

But what if they aren’t talking? Or what if they aren’t saying words correctly? Or maybe they don’t appear to understand what you’re saying? How do you know if you should begin exploring speech therapy?

Our partners at UNH Cooperative Extension have written this helpful blog post; Early Childhood Language Development – an interview with Emily Leavitt Crete, Speech/Language Pathologist. to help you figure out what speech milestones to watch for, ways to support their healthy speech and language development, and where to turn for support.

Do you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development? Reach out to our partners at Gateways Community Services to gain support with next steps.

For more on your child’s healthy development visit our Child Development page