speech development

Speech development is the process by which children learn to understand and produce language. It begins with cooing and babbling, gradually progressing to recognizing sounds, words, and simple sentences. As children grow, their vocabulary expands and their ability to form more complex sentences improves. This development relies on hearing, mimicking, and practicing language in social contexts. Most children start speaking recognizable words around their first year and begin combining words around age two. Speech development can vary individually but generally follows a predictable pattern, reflecting neurological growth, cognitive skills, and social experiences.