Normal Speech and Language Development: 12 to 24 Months
Thank you for joining me for week 3 of my 8 week "Normal Speech and Language Development" Series. This week I am moving on to the next age group level: Children ages 12 to 24 months. During this year in a child's life, the world opens up! Growth and maturity are happening very quickly as little ones embark upon talking, walking and becoming a toddler.
According to the WebMD website, during 12 to 24 months:
The changes that happen in this period are often grouped into five areas:
- Physical growth. Expect your child to grow about 3 in. to 5 in. and gain about 3 lb to 5 lb
- Cognitive development. This is your child's ability to think, learn, and remember. Your child will start to remember recent events and actions, understand symbols, imitate, imagine, and pretend.
- Emotional and social development. Toddlers form strong emotional attachments and often feel uneasy when they are separated from their loved ones. Around the same time, toddlers typically want to do things on their own or according to their own wishes. This sets the stage for conflict, confusion, and occasional breakdowns.
- Language development. At 15 to 18 months, a typical toddler understands 10 times more words than he or she can speak. By the second birthday, most toddlers can say about 50 to 100 words.
- Sensory and motor development. Motor skills develop as your child's muscles and nerves work together. Toddlers gain control and coordination and become steady walkers. Climbing, running, and jumping soon follow.
It is important to note that if you are seeing delays in ANY of those 5 areas, don't hesitate to speak with your child's pediatrician. In addition, you can also call your local Early Intervention office and request a full and complete evaluation, which will include each of these five areas. Below are some additional web links to help explain what typical and normal speech and language development looks like in young children 12-24 months of age.
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This link is to a website entitled
Early Intervention Support.com, which provides a detailed list of what normal/typical speech and language development looks like during this critical year of development:
In speech development, typical 18-month-olds can:
- Use 10-15 words spontaneously
- Attempt to sing
- Say "No" meaningfully
- Gesture to express needs
- Name one or two familiar objects
In speech development, most 2-year-olds can:
- Understand "no"
- Use 100-200 words, including names
- Combine two words such as "daddy bye-bye"
- Wave good-bye and plays pat-a-cake
- Make the "sounds" of familiar animals
- Give a toy when asked
- Use words such as "more" to make wants known
- Point to his or her toes, eyes, and nose
- Bring objects from another room when asked
- Repeat up to 4 word phrases
- Attempt to sing using words
- Refer to self by name
- Be intelligible about half of the time
- Identify pictures using words
- On ASHA's website, they also provide a helpful link regarding what a child should be able to do during 12-24 months regarding their "hearing and understanding" as well as "talking".
Join me next Tuesday for Week 4!