Track spoken words, word combinations, response to directions, and how well strangers understand your child by age 3, plus sign use and session attendance. Seek prompt evaluation if babbling, first words, or two-word phrases miss expected ages, stall, or fade. Here baby sign language means simple hand signs hearing babies use along with speech to share needs early. Online speech therapy means live video visits with a speech-language pathologist who coaches you and your child.
Table of Contents
- What does typical early communication look like?
- Do baby signs speed up talking?
- What should you track during online therapy?
- When should you seek an evaluation?
- How can you make video visits work better?
What does typical early communication look like?
CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. checklists set 18-month markers as trying three or more words besides "mama" and "dada" and following one-step directions without gestures, according to the CDC milestone checklists.
By age 2, the same checklists point to combining two or more words and pointing to book pictures and body parts. ASHA frames milestones as age ranges when at least 75% of children show each skill from birth to age 5, according to the ASHA milestone resources. One early example is quieting or smiling when talked to at birth to 3 months. Use the range to judge progress, not one exact birthday.
Do baby signs speed up talking?
A controlled University of Hertfordshire study found no evidence that symbolic gestures or baby signs accelerate language development. Signed and non-signed infants reached language milestones similarly, with no harm shown.
UC Davis reporting on Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn's Baby Signs research states signed infants shared needs earlier and showed language and intellectual advantages still measurable in elementary school. Treat signs as a communication bridge, not a shortcut. Keep speaking, reading, and responding while you sign, and watch spoken words grow.
What should you track during online therapy?
Research on video care is reassuring. A NOMS-based comparison reported minimal difference in median change between telepractice and in-person groups, with both making significant pre-to-post gains.
ASHA 2021 service data reported about 80% of all-teletherapy clients showed progress versus 79.9% of all in-person clients, according to the TherapyWorks summary of the ASHA 2021 report. Track the same markers your clinician uses:.
- weekly spoken word count and new word combinations
- stranger intelligibility by age 3
- following directions without gestures and pointing to pictures or body parts
- attendance, practice days, and short video clips of play and meals
When should you seek an evaluation?
Act early when progress stalls or slips backward. ASHA's Identify the Signs guidance flags no babbling by 12 months, no single words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months, stalled progress, or any loss of skills, according to the Illinois State summary of ASHA guidance.
Contact your pediatrician and ask for referral to an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Bring your milestone notes, word counts, and examples of signs and speech.
- no babbling by 12 months
- no single words by 16 months
- no two-word phrases by 24 months
- stalled words, signs, or understanding, or any lost skill
How can you make video visits work better?
Weak broadband, device gaps, and low participation reduce teletherapy benefit. Choose a quiet spot with stable internet, keep the camera at your child's eye level, and keep toys, books, and snacks within reach.
Join each activity, repeat the clinician's prompts between visits, and log attendance and home practice. Bring your weekly word count, two short clips, and one question about the next skill to each visit.