'Normal' speech development for 2yo?

[Molotov]

Dd2 turned 2yo last month. I'm a little concerned about her speech and wondered if I should contact out HV, or if this is normal and not to worry.

For example, if she tries to tell me 'Mummy, the dog barked but now it has gone', it would come out as 'Mah, doh, bar, gone.' Sometimes, if words won't come to her (might be when she's wanting something immediately from the fridge), I'll get a point and 'uh uh! uh!' still.

She repeats things a lot. I might get 'mah, doh, bar' for what feels like 20 mins. Or 'bebe, cah, mil' (Mummy, the baby cried. She needs milk!)

She seems to understand everything we say to her, judging from her responses.

I seem to remember dd1 being clearer with her vocabulary at this age, but can't exactly remember.

TIA

[SomeSleepPlease]

Hi just read your post. Just some things I have noted that can cause speech delay. Your dd is just 2? How does she eat? Might sound a silly question but a child that eats solid food just as you and I would developes better muscles in the mouth which aids being able to form clear words. Balance issues combined with speech delay could signal an inner ear issue. Having an older sibling could negate the need for speech and therefor delay speech. A great way to support speech development is giving time, this sounds silly but as a mum you are very busy trying to do hundreds of things at once. By stopping what you are doing and getting down to a child's level and making eye contact can let them know there is no pressure to rush what they need to say. My dd developed a stammer around that age and I read lots about speech development and I noticed the biggest improvement when I did start to stop, sit down with her and give her however long she needed. If you feel that going to the health visitor would be beneficial then you know your dd best and all I would say was write down all clear words and any other speech related info for when you go. Good luck :) I am also an Early Years Teacher

[BrianTheMole]

No harm in seeing gp/hv and seeing if a referal to SALT is needed, as the wait list is often long. To put your mind at rest, my ds said nothing at that age, although he understood. Gp said he was the tail end of the 'normal' range, and he had hearing tests, and a referral to SALT. He was also referred to the consultant at the hosp. Anyway, all was fine, he just woke up one day at 2.5yrs and started talking. And hasn't stopped since. No harm in getting your dd checked out to make sure everything is ok, and get speech and language involved. If there are any issues at least there will be professionals to support her.

[Molotov]

Thanks to you both for giving such detailed replies, particularly Sleep. You've both given me lots to think about and positive steps I can take to help develop her language.

She is a good eater, but I think she is 'suffering' from being second-born. Her 5yo sister speaks to her in a way that enables dd2 to use 'yes' or 'no' in reply. I think we're all guilty of doing that. Also, as a second-timr parent, I'm better at guessing what she needs.

We've spent this morning in the garden and I've talked lots to her about what I'm doing. She has repeated things back to me, for example:

Me: "Mummy is going to mow the grass this morning. Will you help me, please?'
Dd2: Ess, mow gah (yes, I will help you mow the grass).

I will also make a better effort reading to her, and also stop being so busy all of the time! You're right, Sleep, I sometimes forget to dedicate that kind of time to her because of everything there is to do. I'm currently a SAHM with full household responsibilities. Anyway, no excuses, I know what I have to do.

I'm still concerned about her dropping consonants from her speech, and shortening words to the first syllable. I think if she doesn't improve after a couple of weeks of my concentrating on helping her with her language, I'll contact our HV team.

Many thanks again, you've both been so much help. Appreciate it lots

[rocketjam]

It might be worth having her hearing checked, just to be sure.

Another tip is to keep on repeating key words - she does that naturally anyway. So you should try to keep your sentences short, repeating key words. It's also important to let her know that you understand her, so if she says 'bebe, cah, mil' you repeat 'yes, baby crying, she wants milk' and not 'it's not mil, it's milk'... or not 'yes she must be very hungry if she's crying so much, she must want her bottle of milk...' (there's nothing wrong with using long sentences, but your DS is more likely to want to repeat what you say if it's shorter).

you can try to encourage her to develop the muscles in her face/mouth by blowing kisses, blowing bubbles, pulling faces, sticking tongue out, blowing raspberries, drinking with a straw, etc. it's not a bad thing to speak to your GP about it and ask for assessment with speech therapist as the waiting lists can be very long.

[bakingtins]

You might want to look at a website called Talking Point, which is very helpful for what is normal speech at various ages and how to help them move on to the next level.

[Jellyandjam]

Hi, my DS is five and suffered from speech disorder, specifically related to his articulation of sounds.
We knew at two he wasn't saying as much as his sister had been at that age but were told just to keep an eye on it as his understanding was good so they weren't too worried at that point. He didn't improve though and though he had a lot to say it wasn't clear. He had trouble moving his mouth correctly to make the right sounds.
He suffered from severe skirt reflux as a baby and it is very likely we nice know that thus lead to him not developing his oral muscles properly which made it difficult as he got older to articulate clearly.
He started speech therapy at just turned four (but we decided to go private 8 months ago).
The first thing I would recommend is a hearing test. For us it wading that but it was good to rule it anyway. You can then take it from there.
The talking point website as another poster suggested is also a good reference point.
Aldo there is a support thread on here for speech and language, come and join us there. Lots of other mums in the same position.

[SomeSleepPlease]

It sounds as though you are supporting her well. Best practice is very easy to write but so much harder to put into practice when you are a mum. When I am at work i am completely focused on supporting child development (giving time, repeating what they say back to them clearly and slowly) but yet at home I am guilty of responding to grunts and pointing. Nobody is perfect! it is an impossible task. I would suggest if you are still worried in a couple of weeks you ask for a referal to ordiology as this is one of the first things they check before moving on. If you have any children's centres in you area they might have a speech and language drop in session too.

[Jellyandjam]

My post should say silent reflux

[Molotov]

Thanks for all your messages.

I have taken extra measures to ensure that I am fully engaging with her speech today. We have had a really nice day together and I know now that it's really important for me to continue this attention: to move her to the next level, or identify a problem as she isn't making the 'right' sounds atm. I think that needs to develop pretty soon, or, we need to have some help.

I am conscious to contextualise sentences after she has said the basic information (is it telegraphic speech?) I will encourage those mouth exercises and check out the website.

Thanks again, all