Toddler Speech Delay

Toddlers learn language at different rates, but it usually falls in a general timeline. If your toddler doesn’t seem to follow communication timeline, it’s best to consult with your doctor. Keep in mind though that the timetable for language development is broad.

Your toddler’s ability to communicate involves various factors, two of which are speech and language. Speech-language pathologists often refer to speech as articulation and language as vocabulary-your toddler’s ability to combine words into phrases and sentences as well as his ability to use words in conversations.

A child’s first words usually start to emerge when he’s a baby toddler, around 12 to 15 months of age. However, it’s important to understand that a toddler’s language development and his ability to communicate in other ways begin to develop long before he starts to use words. It’s crucial to monitor your toddler’s development early on to ensure that he’s right on track in terms of speech development.

Consult your child’s speech pathologist if your toddler:

• If at 12 months, your toddler doesn’t use gestures like shaking or waving his head.
• Is not practicing using a couple of consonants such as p and b.
• At 15 months, unable to understand and react to words like “no” and “bye-bye”.
• Can’t say at least one to three words.
• Doesn’t say the word “mama” or “dada.”
• At 16 months, unable to identify body parts when asked.
• Not able to say at least 15 words during his 18 month.

• Is not pointing out things that interest him like airplanes or birds.
• On his 20th month, is not making at least six consonant sounds.
• On his 21st month, doesn’t respond to simple directions.
• During his 24th month, does not imitate actions or words of other people and can’t point named pictures in a book.

• On his 26th month, unable to use two-word simple sentences.
• Family members can’t understand him on his 30th month.
• Unable to name at least three body parts.
• At 32 months, has a difficulty singing lines from nursery rhymes.
• On his 36th month, doesn’t ask questions and can’t be understood by strangers at least half the time he’s talking.

Speech delay is something that you can work on with your toddler. The important thing is that you’ll be able to recognize this early on so you can seek help and start therapy immediately. Talking to your toddler all the time and playing nursery rhymes and reading books are some of the things you can do to help him develop his communication skills.