Today I want to talk about a concern I hear quite often:
 
“My two year old is not talking!”
 
First let’s talk about what your two year old should be doing in terms of communication skills: By the age of two (24-35 months) your child should:
 

• Use words (between 5-15) to label objects, people and say exclamatory expressions such as “UH OH” and “Whee!”
• Wave/say “hi” and “bye.”
• Name some familiar objects when you ask “What’s this?”
• Spontaneously use words (some kids will use gestures along with) to request.
• Respond verbally to yes/no questions and simple what or where questions
• Repeat the last word of a sentence you say
• Name pictures in a book and points to pictures in a book
• Using self centered pronouns such as I, me and mine
• Uses words to vocalize most needs
• Be understood by familiar listeners (mom, dad etc.) most of the time.  
• May also show frustration when he/she is not understood because their utterances have meaning.

            
If your two year old is not doing all of these it does not ALWAYS mean there is a language delay.  If parents were late talkers or if there is another language spoken in the home then these factors can negatively affect language acquisition.  But that being said –I always recommend if there are ANY concerns about your child’s speech and language –it is best that you see a Speech–Language Pathologist for a screening and/or talk to your Pediatrician about your concerns and possibly a referral.
 
Here are some things you can do with your child to help increase language skills:

-Use gestures when giving your child one step directions (come here, sit down and get that).
-If your child answers ‘no’ to all yes/no questions, that is pretty typical. When she uses the word ‘no’ in place of yes- encourage him/her to shake his/her head and repeat the word ‘yes.’
-Use repetitive short phrases to encourage your child to imitate what you are saying (“the airplane goes up, up, up” or “the ball fell down, down, down”)
-Read books with your child and name objects and describe what is happening in the book.
-Give verbal choices instead of a yes/no question (Instead of “ do you want the red one” try  “Do you want the red one or blue one?”)
-If your child makes one or two word requests  (“juice) then add another word (“more juice” or “more juice please.”)

If you have any concerns about your child’s language development.  Call or email us to schedule a language screening or evaluation.

Next week we will be talking about options for therapy/intervention for children this age.

Adrienne Fuller M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech Builders, LLC
speechbuilders.org
(407) 703-2711