I was talking to a friend who is a SLT and she says they've noticed a vast increase in children with mild to moderate speech delays being referred over the last 10 years or so, children who often don't have any underlying issues which might contribute to this. She says the parameters for what is seen as normal speech development have changed as a result, with HVs expecting less of your average 2 year old than they once did.
I found this interesting, especially as I find it hard to judge what is average or not, for instance I would expect a three year old to sound quite babyish and not to be especially clear in their language, maybe not so much a five year old.
My husband didn't speak until he was almost 4,but is completely fine now. I worry sometimes about my youngest child, who is a very quiet baby compared to the other DC
Does anyone work in this area /know any more about it?