“Speech and Language” vs “Development and Milestone”

Have you noticed that your child is talking, but some of their words are difficult to understand? Perhaps they are slower to begin talking or are having difficulty putting words together. You may also notice that they have trouble understanding directions, answering questions, or following what is being said.

Each of these concerns points to a different part of communication.

Understanding the difference between speech and language can help you make sense of what you’re noticing and better understand where your child may need support.

What Is Speech?

Speech is how we produce spoken sounds and words.

It relies on the coordinated movement of the lips, tongue, jaw, vocal folds, and other parts of the speech system. Speech includes speech sound production, fluency, and voice.

Speech sound production involves how children learn and produce the sounds in words, including articulation. A child may substitute, leave out, or change certain sounds. For example, “rabbit” may sound like “wabbit.”

Fluency refers to the flow and rhythm of speech. Stuttering may include repetitions, prolongations, or moments when speech feels stuck.

Voice refers to qualities such as pitch, loudness, and vocal quality.

What Is Language?

Language is how we understand and use words, sentences, and other forms of communication to share meaning.

Receptive language refers to what a child understands. This may include understanding vocabulary, following directions, answering questions, and understanding concepts or conversations.

Expressive language refers to how a child communicates thoughts, wants, needs, and ideas. This can include using words, combining words into phrases and sentences, asking questions, describing experiences, and telling stories.

For younger children, language delays may look like talking later than expected, using fewer words, or having difficulty combining words. As children get older, challenges may show up in higher-level language skills such as organizing thoughts, explaining ideas, understanding more complex language, or telling clear and detailed stories.

Language also includes social communication, such as sharing ideas, understanding different perspectives, interpreting social language, and using language to connect with others across different situations.

What If My Child Has Difficulty in Just One Area?

A child may have strong language skills but have difficulty producing certain speech sounds clearly or speaking fluently, such as when stuttering is present.

Another child may speak clearly but need support understanding or using language. Some children may benefit from support in both areas.

How Can a Speech-Language Pathologist Help?

A speech-language pathologist can help identify a child’s communication strengths and determine whether any areas may benefit from additional support.

At Cubs Corner, we take the time to understand how your child communicates, listen to what you are noticing at home, and answer your questions along the way.

An evaluation can help clarify what you are seeing and guide next steps. That may include speech-language therapy, strategies to use at home, or simply a better understanding of your child’s communication development.