How much should my toddler be saying by now
First things first: every child is different and every child will learn to talk at their own speed!! Some children will find learning to talk and listen harder than others; in fact over one million children in the UK have some kind of speech language and communication need (SLCN).
It may just take these children a little longer to learn to speak or they may need a bit of extra help. There is a lot that parents/carers can do to support and encourage their children’s speech development.
The following stages can be used as a guide to when your toddler should be developing language and can indicate whether they need some extra help:
6 – 12 months
By the time your child is 1 year old, they will usually: turn towards you and listen if you talk to them or say their name, be babbling lots of sounds like ‘ba-ba’ and ‘no-no’ and recognise some familiar objects, words and names like ‘bye bye’ and ‘daddy’.
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12 – 18 months
Now your child will typically start to become more social and will be starting to use and understand a few simple words e.g. juice, kiss and mummy. They will copy adult’s speech and gestures and start to engage in some pretend play like talking on the phone.
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18 – 24 months
By the age of 2 children should have got the hang of talking and be using around 50 words in short sentences of 2-3 words. They will understand simple questions and instructions, will sit and listen to stories and engage in more elaborate pretend play.
2 – 3 years
By the age of 3 usually children will understand longer questions and instructions and will be putting together longer sentences with a vocabulary of around 300 words. They will also start to ask lots of questions about the world around them (you will soon be hoping for a rest from their talking!) At this age it is normal for them to have problems with difficult sounds such as sh, ch and r and it may even sometimes sound as if they have a stammer when their thoughts and ideas overtake their language ability.
Some children will have quite mild difficulties or it is just that they are developing their skills in the usual way (as above), but at a slower rate. This is often called a ‘delayed speech and language development’. If this sounds like your child you can help them quite easily by doing some of the following:
- talk to your child about what you are doing (modelling good but simple language which will help them to connect words to the world around them)
- name objects that your child sees or points to
- sing nursery rhymes with actions and play with toys that make a noise to attention skills
- look at and read books together
- repeat and expand what you child says.
Other children may have greater needs or have life-long difficulties that will affect them significantly. These children will need help and support from professionals such as a speech and language therapist. Some things to look for that can indicate more significant problems include:
- not using sounds to gain attention
- your child isn’t babbling by around12 months or saying their first words by 18 months
- they do not respond well to you when you speak to them or follow simple instructions by 18 months.
Remember, every child is different and some just need time and encouragement. However, if you’re worried, listen to your instinct. Talk to someone who can help, for example a speech and language therapist, your health visitor or GP.
Here at Integrated Treatment Services we recognise that it can be a worrying time when your child is not talking as you had expected. It is hard not to compare your child to other children. We also understand that parents feel it is important that their child is talking well before they start school.
It is true that some NHS trusts will not provide an assessment for younger children who’s speech is a little delayed, or that there can be a long wait for therapy even after an assessment has identified your child needs extra support.
We are happy to speak with you over the telephone on: 0845 838 2921 or by email info@integratedtreatments.co.uk and listen to your concerns and talk about the possible options in how you can best support your child. We will guide you through how to access NHS support and what you can be doing whilst you wait to be seen.
We are also happy to offer an assessment and help you get a head start, we will always aim to see your child for assessment within the week of referral. Once your NHS appointment comes through, we can happily put our therapy on hold, or we can end therapy with you at any time. We do find that many families access our support as well as their NHS sessions to ensure that their child is seen regularly and so that they are making progress quicker. If you would like this to happen we will ensure to liaise with the NHS therapist and form a clear plan where we each agree targets which need working on.
Never be alone with your worries about your child’s speech and language development we are always happy to hear from parents and we will offer any support we can with no obligation to use our service.
Also contact us if there are other topics you would like us to cover in our blogs – we are only too happy to share our knowledge and offer you the support you are looking for.
Laura Oldakowska
Speech and Language Therapist
May 2013
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