Signs of Language Development Delay in Toddlers

While children vary considerably in the development of their communication skills, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), most follow a similar path toward developing these skills. By watching for signs of a language development delay in your toddler, you can help ensure your child receives early intervention and assistance.

12 to 18 Months

• By 18 months, you can expect your toddler to have two to three intelligible words they use to identify a person or label an object, like "cat" or "Mama." Linda Crowe, an associate professor in the communication science and disorders program at Kansas State University, recommends parents seek a professional evaluation for their child if she fails to acquire new words at 18 months or if she completely lacks any identifiable speech. These might serve as “red flags” for parents to look for underlying issues that might affect her language development. Children this age can usually follow simple directions and use gestures to accompany their speech, such as pointing or waving. They can also point to several body parts and answer questions nonverbally by nodding their head or shaking it.

19 to 24 Months

• Many children experience a “language” explosion somewhere in this time frame. While it might happen earlier for some children and later than others, according to the NIDCD, you can expect most 24-month-olds to expand their vocabulary to a minimum of 50 words during this time period. By 20 months, the Babycenter Advisory Board suggests a toddler should have at least six consonant sounds. Toddlers this age can often make a full range of animal sounds when prompted and point to a diversity of body parts when queried. The Babycenter Advisory Board recommends seeking a medical evaluation if your 24-month-old can’t point out pictures in a book or fails to combine two words into basic phrases like “more milk” or “mama go.”

25 to 36 Months

• Children this age often work on refining their speech and working on longer and more complex sentences. Pronouns like “I” or “we” usually creep into their speech. If family members can’t understand a child's speech by 30 months or if strangers fail to understand him about 50 percent of the time by 36 months, he might need professional help from a speech and language pathologist. According to the Babycenter Advisory Board, other potential concerns at this age include a failure to ask questions by 36 months and an inability to name common household objects like “telephones” or “table.”