When a child is learning to speak, pronunciation and grammar are not what's important. First, you want to get to a place where you can understand what your child is trying to say.

At the learning stage, it's more important for your child to feel that he has successfully communicated to you. Corrections can come later on, when your child is talking more comfortably.

This is also a good time to reinforce what she was trying to say, so that you can provide her with a model for her speech. For example, if she says "I aw itty go," you say, "Oh, you saw the Kitty go".

If you are concerned that your child's speech isn't improving, you may want to ask your child's doctor to refer you to a speech therapist or speech-language pathologist. Or you can call the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists at 1-800-259-8519.

Related Content
Ages and Stages
	Intellectual Development - Language: 12 to 18 months
	Intellectual Development - Language: 18 to 24 months
	Intellectual Development - Language: 2 to 3 years
	Intellectual Development - Language: 3 to 4 years
	Intellectual Development - Language: 4 to 5 years
	Intellectual Development - Language: 6 to 12 months
	Intellectual Development - Language: Birth to 6 months
	What to Expect: 12 to 18 Months
	What to Expect: 18 to 24 Months
	What to Expect: 6 to 12 Months
	What to Expect: Birth to 6 Months
	What to Expect: Your 2 to 3 Year Old
	What to Expect: Your 3 to 4 Year Old
	What to Expect: Your 4 to 5 Year Old
Answers for Parents
	Hearing Problems: Signs of a hearing problem
	Hearing Problems: What to do
	Speech and Language: Frequently asked questions
	Speech and Language: Problems and their causes
	Speech: Serious stuttering
	Speech: Signs of problems
	Speech: Stuttering
	Talking: Encouraging my baby to begin talking
	Talking: Encouraging my quiet child to speak
	Talking: How to help my child learn to pronunce words correctly
	Talking: Learning more than one language
	Talking: My child doesn't like to speak
	Talking: Setting the stage
	Talking: Typical pronunciation problems
	Talking: Understanding my child's speech
	Talking: What if I can't understand my child's talk
	Talking: What to expect
	Talking: Why hasn't my child begun to speak yet?
Articles
	"Read me a story, Daddy"
Life with "The Zap Family"
	Baby Zap's First Word
	Baby Zap in Conversation

Books for Children

	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?
	Fun With My 5 Senses: Activities to Build Learning Readiness
	Little Hands Finger Plays and Action Songs: Seasonal Rhymes and Creative Play
	Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
	The Bare Naked Book
	The Little Hands Playtime Book: 50 Activities to Encourage Cooperation and Sharing

Books for Parents

	Baby Play: 100 Fun-Filled Activities to Maximize Your Baby's Potential
	Toddler Play: 100 Fun-Filled Activities to Maximize your Toddler's Potential
	What to Expect in the Toddler Years