Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: dyspraxia + 1,810 + 0.23  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Has my grandson got dyspraxia?

 All children learn to understand language before they speak it themselves. As a rough guide, a child will be able to understand words or sentences six months before he starts saying them.

You would expect a child of 20 to 24 months to be able to understand sentences and to recognise everyday objects and pictures; in total knowing at least 50 to 100 words. His spoken vocabulary should be increasing from 30 to 60 words, including being able to name the parts of his body.

By 25 to 30 months of age he should be able to ask questions and describe past events to other people. He will probably enjoy having stories read to him.

There can be huge differences between individual children. A child may concentrate less on learning to speak if he is concentrating on other skills such as walking, climbing and running, fine manipulative tasks or social skills such as feeding, dressing and toilet training.

It is important to look at all aspects of your grandson's development. The fact that you say he is very intelligent suggests that he may be developing his communication skills differently to other children but may still be well within normal limits. If he understands everything you say to him his speech may well be on its way.

It would also be reassuring if he is developing normally in other areas i.e. walking, running, climbing, social skills such as dressing feeding himself, toilet training, and manipulative skills such as holding a pencil, building bricks or playing with small toys.

However, if he is reluctant to make eye contact, to play in give and take games or if he mixes poorly with other children he may have an underlying problem with his development of communication.

There could be many reasons for his not speaking. Firstly he needs to have his hearing checked by an audiologist as it is impossible for a child to learn to speak if he cannot hear properly.

You mention dyspraxia. Although this can be associated with delayed speech it is primarily a disorder which show itself in movement and coordination difficulties, typically as a clumsy child. You do not mention whether your grandson has any such difficulties but it is just one of many possible causes for his lack of speech.

The next step is for your grandson to see his GP or health visitor for an assessment and to arrange a hearing test. If this is normal it may be appropriate for him to be referred to the local child development centre.

This will allow his speech and development to be fully assessed and treated as needed, usually by a team including a paediatrician, speech therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist and occupational therapist.

We recommend readers seek personal medical attention in appropriate circumstances.