What's Normal Anyway? A Parents' Guide to Language Development with Dr. Roxanne Bélanger

Ever wonder if your child’s language is developing as it should be? How many words should be spoken and by what age? What types of words should your child be saying? What about all of the precursors to language? Dr. Roxanne Belanger, speech-language pathologist and assistant professor with the School of Speech-Language Pathology at Laurentian University talks about her research with children who were born premature as well as her latest work with preschool children. She also debunks language development and what to expect at 12 months, 15 months, 24 months and much more.
 
We discuss this video, which is a great example of some of the very important precursors to a child’s first words: babbling, varying intonation, joint attention, eye contact and social interaction. It's also really really cute!:

 The following are some of the websites/resources mentioned by Dr. Bélanger during the episode:
 
www.children.gov.on.ca
https://www.sac-oac.ca/sites/default/files/resources/SAC-Milestones-TriFold_EN.pdf
www.hanen.org
www.zerotothree.org

I also really like the Australian milestone brochures available here.

RECRUITING!!! NEW STUDY REGARDING THE EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN AT RISK FOR A
DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER


Dr. Bélanger is currently collecting data on children between the ages of 33 and 40 months using formal parent questionnaires as well as a comprehensive language assessment. If you are from North Eastern Ontario, Canada and are interested in having your child participate in this study, please contact Dr. Bélanger and her research team at lulanguagestudy@gmail.com. The results of your child's assessment will be shared with you and you will receive a $50 voucher to offset the costs of travel and parking. The research team will also go to your child's daycare to conduct the assessment if that is an easier option for your family. Even if you don't have any concerns regarding your child's language development, your participation will help identify children at a younger age and get them the help they need.

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