Language difficulties at toddlers 2 years old

Every child has their own rhythm of language development. Every child is unique.

There are some standard stages of language development that we have to have in mind always and according to them we speech therapists, observe if the child’s language development is normal or it’s not.

Toddler’s speech development tends to follow a fairly set path. For example, by age 2, most children can:

• Use simple two-word phrases, such as “more milk.”
• Ask one- or two-word questions, such as “Go bye-bye?”
• Follow simple commands and understand simple questions.
• Speak about 50 to 100 words.
• Be understood at least half the time by adults who don’t know the child.

Between the ages of 2 and 3, most children:

• Speak in two- and three-word phrases or sentences.
• Use at least 200 words and as many as 1,000 words.
• Ask questions that start with who, what, where or why, such as “Where is mommy?”
• Say their first name when asked.
• Refer to themselves with pronouns, such as I, me, my or mine.
• Also, can be understood most of the time by familiar listeners, such as family members.

If you observe as parents the absence of those characteristics to your toddler between 2 to 3 years old, then you should ask for help. The earlier you do it, the better!

You get in contact with your doctor, in that case, your pediatrician and then with a speech therapist.

There are a few things that need to be checked before the speech therapist informs you that there’s a speech delay or not, such as checking your toddler’s hearing.

Don´t be scared or afraid to ask for help. Remember that the most critical years of your children’s language development are the first 5. If you let the time pass then the problems can be more severe. 

For more information, you can get in contact with me!

Sofía Zelou