New Online Diagnostic Tool Helps Parents Determine if Their Toddler's Language Development is On Track
Language assessment tool used by speech pathologists around the world now widely accessible - reducing parental anxiety and allowing for earlier intervention
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Apr 3, 2013) - Knowledge in Development, publisher of the language assessment measure, the Language Use Inventory (LUI), announced today the launch of My Child's Talk, an online portal where concerned parents can quickly find out if their 2- or 3-year-olds' spoken language is on track.
Approximately 1 in 10 children under the age of 5 are estimated to be at-risk for delays in their language development. Delays in language development can affect a child's development in many other areas, such as making friends, transitioning to school, and learning to read, or in some cases may an indicator of a more serious developmental problem.
Parents are often the first to be concerned about a language delay. But in seeking help may be told to "wait and see" or be faced with long delays for a first assessment. My Child's Talk allows parents to take and immediate step towards reducing their uncertainty and worry.
At My Child's Talk, parents complete the Language Use Inventory, a 20-minute questionnaire backed by over a decade of scientific research by developmental psychologist Dr. Daniela O'Neill, a professor at the University of Waterloo, and used worldwide by speech-language professionals.
Once completed, parents immediately receive a report that tells them precisely where child's language stands relative to a representative set of boys or girls of the same age in months. So parents can find out how their child's everyday talk compares to what is typical for his or her age - just like height and weight charts in a doctor's office. The cost for the service is $20.
"This report is what is unique about My Child's Talk and makes it different from other places online where parents may find informal checklists or milestones about children's language that may flag potential problems but can't provide any more detailed information to parents than this," says Daniela O'Neill developer of the Language Use Inventory and professor at the University of Waterloo. "Because of the research behind the Language Use Inventory included creating norms from the data collected from thousands of parents, the report to parents on My Child's Talk provides parents with much more precise information - a percentile score - that tells them where their child's use of language stands relative to peers of the same age in months."
Parents can use this information to help them decide what to do next, whether it's discussing the results with their family doctor, seeking an assessment from a speech-language professional, or making changes at home to foster their child's talk.
My Child's talk points parents to key resources that can help them decide on the next step. There is a lot parents can do and help they can get for their child.
"Awesome resource! Quick, easy, accurate" is how one parent who recently visited My Child's Talk described it. If parents are worried about their child's language development, My Child's Talk can be an informative, quick and inexpensive first step - a scientifically grounded child language check up.
About Daniela O'Neill
Daniela O'Neill is a professor of developmental psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada where she is also the founder and director of the UW Centre for Child Studies. For over 20 years, her research has focused on the interplay between children's developing understanding of mind and their communicative development. She has authored over 25 journal articles and book chapters and has presented her work at international conferences and workshops for audiences including researchers, early childhood educators, school boards, and speech-language pathologists.
About Knowledge in Development
Knowledge in Development brings the science of children's communication to professionals and parents. We are the publisher of the Language Use Inventory (LUI), a scientifically validated child language assessment tool used by speech-language professionals worldwide and developed by University of Waterloo professor and company founder Daniela O'Neill. My Child's Talk now brings the LUI online to help concerned parents take a first step to determine where their 2- or 3-year-old child's spoken language stands relative to children of the same age.
Social media links
Twitter: @daniela_oneill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyChildsTalk
