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Preschooler Month 43-48 — Growth and Development
It has been over 43 months since you first held your little baby. By now you are an indispensable part of each other’s lives. There's so much you have learnt from your baby and so much she has learnt from you. In fact, this learning never stops. Let's have a look at the next few months with your preschooler and what you can expect her to learn shortly.
Between months 43 and 48, you will notice a lot of “growing up” - suddenly. Every child develops at their own pace so it is impossible to figure out exactly when yours will learn a particular skill. The following milestones will give you an idea of what you can expect in these months. However, do not get worried if your child has different interests or a slower pace at developing. The rate of development varies across children. However, if something worries you too much, consult the pediatrician for advice.
Physical Development
Your child's jaw and facial bones have been growing to create some space for teeth. This sort of changes the size and appearance of the face.
Now, your child can walk up and down stairs without stumbling or using any support now.
Riding a tricycle is child's play for your little one as her body fine tunes its motor skills even further.
Socio-emotional Development
Your little girl most likely has some best friends in her life whom she is really attached to. If she hasn't been exposed to many kids her age, her family will be of utmost importance to her.
She will learn to share toys around this time and will learn that it is a social norm to share. Teaching your child to share should be easy but if you aren't too sure you can find some great ways here.
As for potty training, you might not need to worry any longer and these months are usually when children are quite capable of doing the job on their own.
Previously you may have noticed emotional outbursts that are common in toddlers who cannot contain their feelings. These will decline as your child gets older and finds ways of coping. There will be a definite improvement in emotional self-regulation.
You will also notice your child considering someone else's feelings, especially if they are directly related to her own actions.
Cognitive Development
Thinking and cognitive development is also major at this stage. For instance, your little one can easily feed herself with a spoon or fork now.
She can also undo and put on bigger buttons on a dress. Frees up quite a bit of your time, we assure you!
Her attention span increases as well as she can focus for longer periods without interruptions.
You will find that random scribbles now transform into more meaningful pictures, perhaps a family picture.
Linguistic Development
Your little talker can now ask grammatically correct questions and not just baby-talk words.
She can also speak out about 10 letters of the alphabet in the correct order. If she is being taught phonetics then she may also be able to match some letters with their correct sounds.
As for writing skills, she should be able to trace certain letters down. This will only get better with practice and increasing confidence.
Contact Your Pediatrician If You Notice
By now, your child should be able to throw a ball overhand and jump in one place. Most kids this age are also able to ride a tricycle easily. If your child is still struggling with these milestones, it could indicate a physical development lag. You should discuss this with pediatrician to rule out problems with muscle tone or gross motor skills.
Can your child not use simple sentences yet? Does he still confuse “me” and “you”? It is possible that he could be going through a language or speech problem. You should get this analyse by the doctor who will suggest therapy or activities to help your little one.
Previous Month: Preschooler Month 37-42— Growth and Development
Next Month: Preschooler Month 49-54 — Growth and Development Read more
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Speech and Language Delay in Children
Children develop the ability to communicate very rapidly in the first few years of their life. The pace at which they achieve it varies from one child to another. Some children speak much earlier, while some others take longer than usual. Identifying a delay in speech and language development becomes very tricky for parents as it is often brushed aside as a small roadblock. Here are some important facts about delayed speech in children and how you can help your child overcome it with right interventions.
Difference Between Speech Delay and Language Delay
The terms 'speech delay' and 'language delay' are often used interchangeably. However, they are two different types of communication delay and do not necessarily mean the same. A speech delay refers to a condition where a child is unable to speak or produce any sound of the language that is appropriate for his age. Language delay, on the other hand, largely means a delay in the verbal components of a language. A child is said to have language delay when he lacks the age-appropriate language skills, either in terms of understanding it or speaking it.
When Do Children Develop Speech and Language Skills?
Children develop different aspects of communication continuously up to at least six years of age. Here is a simple chart that you can use to track your child’s speech and language development.
Age
Speech/language development
Birth
Crying
2-3 months
Shows variation in crying depending on the reason. Cooing.
3-4 months
Random babbling, crying
5-6 months
Rhythmic babbling, crying
6-11 months
Trying to talk through babbling, sometimes with expression.
12 months
Recognises and responds to name and simple instructions. Speaks one or two words, imitates sounds
18 months
Vocabulary increases to 5-20 words
Between 1 and 2 years
Vocabulary grows to speak 2-word sentences, can understand 'no', waves hi, bye and imitates familiar sounds.
Between 2 and 3 years
Vocabulary drastically increases to include at least 450 words, speaks short sentences, and understands colours, body parts, big and small sizes, plurals. Identifies self as 'me', listens to the same story repeated many times.
Between 3 and 4 years
Can narrate stories using 4-5 word sentences, a vocabulary of about 1000 words, aware of a lot of concepts and can recite several rhymes.
Between 4 and 5 years
Vocabulary of over 1500 words used to make sentences that are 4-5 words long, frames a lot of questions with what? why? etc., aware of many concepts, uses past tense.
Between 5 and 6 years
Can frame full sentences with 5-6 words using a strong vocabulary of 2000 words, understands relative spatial orientations like near, far, besides, away, etc., can describe objects, can count up to ten easily, understand left and right side
Source: https://www.mottchildren.org/posts/your-child/speech-and-language-development
Causes of Speech or Language Delays
There are many causes for both speech and language delay. The same problem can sometimes cause both speech and language problems.
Learning disability: Many children suffer from learning disabilities due to some defects in the functioning of their brain causing speech delay.
Autism spectrum disorders: A spectrum of disorders categorised under autism are usually found associated with speech delay.
Hearing impairment: Children with impairments in their hearing are most likely to suffer from a delay in speech, and mainly, language, as they do not get a chance to hear and imitate a language.
Chronic ear infections: Chronic ear infections that go unnoticed in some children can manifest as a delay in their speech and response, owing to a lack of input for imitation.
Oral abnormalities: Children who have abnormalities in their tongue or palate have difficulty in articulating their oral cavity to produce meaningful sounds.
Oral-motor issues: Some children have issues in the areas of the brain that dictate the coordination of the oral components of speech. A failure in this coordination results in speech delay in children.
Neurological issues: The muscles that are critical for speech are affected by some birth-related defects like cerebral palsy, brain injury and muscular dystrophy. In such situations, the speech of the child gets affected and requires therapeutic interventions.
Family history: Presence of a close family member with a speech delay can indirectly influence the communication milestone of the child.
Prematurity: Some premature babies, who are born before completing a full term, suffer from a delay in their milestones. You can discuss with your doctor about finding out the corrected age of the baby, in order to track the age-appropriate development.
Lack of opportunity: Some children pick up speech and language slowly because of the sheer lack of interaction in their early stages of development. In rare cases, where the baby does not receive enough stimulation for communication, there is a delay in the milestone.
Signs of a Child's Speech or Language Delay
In the first three years of your child’s life, language skills develop rapidly. If you observe any following signs of delay, talk to your baby's doctor about it.
Age
Signs of delay
12 months
Does not respond to communication. Lack of cooing, babbling, imitation of talking, waving hands, shaking head or pointing fingers.
18 months
Not uttered a single word, doesn’t point to even a single body part
24 months
Has a vocabulary of only a few words and prefers to communicate through pointing or grunting, does not respond to simple commands, doesn’t imitate actions/words, Sudden loss of language skills or loss of vocabulary
30 months
Vocabulary less than 50 words, uses single syllables compared to full words and pronounces words without final consonants
36 months
speaks only two-word abrupt sentences/phrases, unclear pronunciation, lack of interaction with other children
48 months
Confusion in using words like ‘me’ and ‘you’, lack of clarity in using single consonants
How is Speech Delay Diagnosed?
With the right kind of awareness, parents can observe signs of delay in their children as early as two and half years. Speech delay in 3-year-old kids can be diagnosed with proper consultation. Under such circumstances, the child has to be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist to estimate the extent of delay and the underlying cause for it. The pathologist then recommends the appropriate speech therapy for the child.
Can Speech Therapy Help Your Child?
Speech delay treatment in the form of speech therapy certainly helps the child greatly in overcoming the barrier of communication delay. However, in some cases, the medical conditions leading to the delay need correction before starting the therapy.
Ways to Help Your Child Develop Speech at Home
Children develop their language skills right from birth and providing an atmosphere that is conducive to their growth is very critical for meeting the appropriate milestones. Here are some ways by which you can help your child develop speech, at home.
Talk to your baby continuously right from birth. It stimulates the baby’s language centre in the brain.
Make it a two-way communication. Respond to every babbling of the child almost like having a conversation.
Talk to the baby while doing your regular chores and explain each and every action of yours, to engage the baby.
Readout loudly from books and point out pictures by naming them.
Include storytelling sessions often during playtimes. This helps children visualise and imagine things that are told to them.
Encourage playtime with other kids. Children pick up words and behaviours from peers much faster.
Recite rhymes together and encourage your child to enact it.
Sing songs to your baby right from birth. Songs stimulate multiple centres in the brain and improve their interest in language.
After about three years of age, children tend to ask a lot of questions. Patiently answering them helps them understand things better.
Travelling with children and explaining to them the things that they see, leave a lasting impression in their mind.
Do not make fun of their grammatical errors. Understand that as growing children, they learn by making mistakes.
Elaborately talk about the things that your child says. For example, if your child has a favourite toy, talk more about it to improve their vocabulary.
Attend puppet shows or storytelling sessions that kindle the imagination of the child and opens up their opportunity to learn new words.
Do not compel your child to speak, especially when the child is not comfortable. It can set a negative image about communication.
Play simple word games, where you can ask the child to identify a word with the clues you give. You can reverse the roles and encourage your child to give clues for words.
Speech or language delay is one of the most common conditions found among children today. Early identification and intervention is the key to helping your child overcome the problem and successfully developing good communication skills.
Also Read: Developmental Delay in Children Read more
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Kaju Gobi Mutter Curry
Prepare this rich and creamy kaju gobi mutter curry and watch your entire family come back for second (even third!) helpings. Trust us when we say that even your kids are going to love this dish. This time around, we thought of boiling the veggies before adding them to the tempering of the curry. This process makes the curry even tastier. Kaju gobi mutter goes well with naan, rotis or plain steamed rice.
Serves
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
4 People
40 – 45 Minutes
20 - 25 Minutes
Ingredients
100 g cashew nuts
1 small cauliflower, chopped
¼ cup green peas, boiled
½ medium onion, sliced
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp ginger, finely chopped
1-2 green chillies
10 -12 curry leaves
6 -7 tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt to taste
Method
Step 1
Keep cashew nuts, cauliflower and green peas for boiling.
Step 2
Add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala while boiling.
Step 3
In another pan, heat oil and add onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies.
Step 4
Saute them for 2 – 3 min. Next, add curry leaves and red chilli flakes.
Step 5
Pour the boiled cauliflower, cashew nuts and green peas into the tempering.
Step 6
Add coconut milk and give it a nice stir.
Step 7
Allow the curry to thicken and when done, add coriander leaves.
Step 8
Pour lemon juice and garnish with coriander and enjoy with pav, chapatis or rice.
Nutritional Information
Calories
219 K cal
Proteins
5.6 g
Fats
17.1 g
Carbohydrates
14 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
56 mg
Potassium
336 mg
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Guardian of 0 children
53 mins ago
Q. I am 24 weeks pregnant earlier I have two daughters with csec .. I want to know is it possible to have normal delivery this time.. as it's been a gap of 7 years and I don't have any kind of health issues
Abhaya Rajput
Mom of a 14 yr 4 m old boy
51 mins ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much. But it is really very difficult to say anything without proper examination. It is advisable to get yourself evaluated by a doctor and follow doctors advise properly. You can also book online doctor’s appointment on FirstCry where the doctor can help you and guide you properly.
Thanks and take care
Dr Sameer awadhiya has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
52 mins ago
Q. #asktheexpert
There is irritarion in my chest and belly region in night. what to do?
Dr Sameer awadhiya
Paediatrician
51 mins ago
A. For the query asked needs consultation with doctor for proper guidance so it is better that the doctor will guide you the correct waykh .
Online consultation can also be taken and the expert will give you the proper answer .
Dr Sameer awadhiya has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 1 month
45 mins ago
Q. #asktheexpert hello doctor
actually mere leg me swelling bhut jyada h what to do ?
Dr Sameer awadhiya
Paediatrician
44 mins ago
A. In this here it is very difficult to comment properly until a proper examination or assessment is done to find out the exact cause so it is advisable to consult your doctor so that he could examine jhgand evaluate properly and will guide you accordingly for this .
Dr Sameer awadhiya has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 1 month
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Q. hello maam, can you suggest vitamin D for kids 6 yrs
Dr Sameer awadhiya
Paediatrician
44 mins ago
A. For the query asked needs consultation with doctor for proper guidance so it is better that the doctor will guide you the correct way .
Online consultation can also be taken and the expert will give you the proper ansjower .
Manali K Mehta has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
43 mins ago
Q. #asktheexpert Hello
I am 8 months pregnant and have liver infection due to which I have lot of itching. Please advice what food should I eat or not and what else can I do to reduce the counts.
Manali K Mehta
Mom of 2 children
43 mins ago
A. hi parent
I suggest you please consult with your gynecologist and follow their instructions
it is very helpful
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Q. #asktheexpert
I have 4 months pregnant. I feel abdominal pain
Dr Ghouse
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A. please see the doctor there is need for examination. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
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