 | ||
|
| |    Key Language Milestones in Toddlers (12-24 months) by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. These milestones are taken from well-researched tests, but this article is not a test for your toddler. Knowing a few key milestones of language development can help reassure you that your toddler is OK. (For more about these milestones, see About Language Milestones.) If your toddler is not meeting these milestones and you are concerned, I hope that this list will help you feel confident as you go about arranging a complete assessment of your child. 12-14 months Most toddlers say their first real word by or before 14 months of age. By "real word," I mean a sound that they use on their own (not imitating) to mean the same thing each time. Often, the first word is "mama" or "dada." A small number of toddlers do not start saying words until much later. Although these children usually do fine, many parents feel better if there has been a thorough developmental assessment to make sure that there aren't any other problems. Most one-year-olds communicate well even without words: They let you know what they want with gestures, make speech-like sounds (even if you can't comprehend any of them), and understand some simple things (such as, "Give me the bottle," said while you are holding out your hand for it.) 15-18 Months - emerging words and understanding By 17 to 18 months, 90 percent of children can say at least one word in addition to "mama" or "dada." Many already say 5 to 10 words, and some say many more than that. Understandably, parents of quieter toddlers are often concerned at this stage. Because there is such a wide range of normal ages for beginning to talk, it's actually more useful to pay attention to how well your baby understands what you say to him. By 14-15 months, most toddlers will follow at least one verbal command, without any visual cues. So, for example, if you say, "Give me the ball," but don't hold out your hand, your toddlers will still hand over the ball -or clutch it even harder! 18-24 Months - the start of grammar Somewhere between 18 and 24 months, most toddlers make the amazing discovery that words mean different things depending on how you put them together. This is the beginning of grammar. Instead of "milk!" they say "no milk!" or "more milk" or even "Suzy milk!" (which might mean "Look, Suzy is drinking milk, and I want some, too!"). Developmentalists call this "telegraphic speech." Telegraphic speech shows that your child understands a lot about how language works. For example, he understands the difference between nouns and verbs, as well as the fact that sentences usually have at least one of each. By 24 months, 9 out of 10 toddlers have started to make two-word sentences and usually have at least 25 to 50 different words in their vocabularies. As before, some very quiet children say next to nothing, but they still communicate effectively and show good understanding. By age two, most toddlers can follow a two-step command, such as "Go get a diaper and your shoes." The meaning of "delays" What if your baby is not doing one or more of these things by the appointed time? Children grow and develop at different rates, so there is a good chance that your child is simply doing things on his own schedule. On the other hand, the milestones above are ones that 9 out of 10 healthy babies meet. A child who really cannot meet them probably should have an assessment by a professional who understands development to make sure that there is no problem that needs to be dealt with early. An assessment for possible language delay involves the professional talking with you, and talking and playing with your baby. By law, developmental assessments should be available free in almost every state. Your child's healthcare provider can help you set one up.
| |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About Us |
Contact Us |
Our Partners Privacy Policy | Ethics | Advertising Policy | Terms of Service © Copyright 2004 The Dr. Spock Company. All Rights Reserved. THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. The information drSpock.com
provides is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for
professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your health care
professional if you have a specific health concern. Mention or advertisement
of any product, service, or brand does not constitute endorsement, guarantee,
or recommendation by The Dr. Spock Company. Please read our full
Terms of Service. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
