Blogs About Reading

Sound It Out

Dr. Joanne Meier

Along with her background as a professor, researcher, writer, and teacher, Joanne Meier is a mom. Join Joanne every week as she shares her experiences raising her own young readers, and guides parents and teachers on the best practices in reading.

Talking about talking, and more

July 1, 2010

MT: I'm so glad Ian is finally really talking, but gosh; he never takes a breath now. It's exhausting!

AB: Our doctor brought up speech therapy by the end of the summer if MEB doesn't have some more words. She just turned two. How old is Ian?

MT: Ian turned two in April, and I swear, in the last month or so something just clicked. He has become a lot clearer and is talking in full sentences, asking questions, etc. It's really fun to see, but sometimes I just want a few minutes of quiet! There's such a range of speech at this age that I wouldn't worry — I'm sure M will be talking up a storm in no time and then you'll be wishing for some quiet! ; )

Sound familiar? At some point, almost every parent has worried about some aspect of their child's development, whether it's crawling, walking, talking, or reading. Our developmental milestones section has several good resources for parents and teachers, including literacy milestones by age and grade. There's an article that helps parents recognize how long they should wait before seeking help, what to do if you suspect a problem, and clues to dyslexia in early childhood. Our friends at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) also offer information about typical speech and language development.

There's no shortage of information out there. If you're like me, you surf the web late at night looking for answers and hoping to quell your worries. Start (and stay) with trustworthy, authoritative sites, and remember that many developmental milestones happen within a wide range of months. Bulk up with good information, but also trust your instincts. And then go read with and talk to your child! Time flies.

Comments

I agree that there is a range when it comes to reaching developmental milestones. Maybe the time to worry is whenyou reach the end of that range. That is when I would seek out further testing.

Hello,I recently compiled a list of the Top 15 blogs on reading and literacy, and Ijust wanted to let you know that you made the list! Itis published online athttp://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-15-blogs-on-reading-and-literacy/Thanks so much, and if you think your audience would find usefulinformation in the list or on the site, please feel free to share thelink. The blog is just starting up, so we always appreciate a linkbackas we're trying to increase readership.Thanks again, and have a great day! Maria Magher

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"Reading is not optional." —

Walter Dean Myers