When does the "average" child start talking

[MistyB]

I am being a little hyper sensitive today about to a comment regarding when children start talking so was wondering if anyone had a link to research as to when children start to talk and start to speak in short sentences.

(Background.. Early years professional asked if I thought my signing to my 16 month old delayed his speech as chldren usually started speaking in sentences at one. Has previously made comments about 6 year olds reading Harry Potter and children turning 3 riding bikes without stabilisers - not really feeling my children are backward but feeling a bit offended. I'd like a link to read and will hopefully also find a link about the positive benefits about baby signing.)

your eyp is talking shit.

FWIW DD is 2 1/2 and only just started stringing words together and cannot even use a scooter let alone a bike with or without stabilisers. DS cannot read Harry Potter and he is 6 nor has he mastered a bike without stabilisers though I suspect that's just laziness. Clearly they are both backward either that or as aitch says your eyp is talking shit. I know which one I believe.

Children do not usually speak in sentences at one. earlt Years "professional" clearly lacks both training, experience, OR the ability to retain information.

www.parenting.com/article/Fertility/Development/Help-Your-Baby-Say-His-First-Word

I consider my dd to be an early talker. She certainly wasn't speaking in sentences at 1. She had a few words and could combine things to say 'look dog' or 'want drink' for example but no sentences. And like I said, she was an early talker.

eyp sounds mad.

Sentences! At 1? I think DS started talking at about 14 months. At 20 months he can string 4 words together - don't think that is a sentence yet. All his peers seem to be similar.

We sign too - although when he can say the word he uses the sign less. But started using new signs even after he had started talking.

Tell him he's an arse

My Ds is 2 and we have mostly words we cannot understand yet, a few we can. Some sentences if you think that 2 words make a sentence. Everybody is different.

I could talk at ten months, which was super early, and sing but I was really advanced!

What an arse, doesn't know what he's talking about and has limited knowledge, children will talk when they want to.

Thank you for cheering me up - feel abit more chilled and less offended now!! Back to play with my average children in the garden!!

My two year old DS3 can string a few words together. That's it. He certainly makes himself understoof though. He can't even reach the pedals on his trike

My 5 year old still has stabilisers on his bike although they're coming off soon.

My 6 year old is reading books - Horrid Henry Early Readers but certainly not Harry Potter.

Your eyp is mad.

Oh, and one of the ways my DS3 makes himself understood is with signing - usually with the word too. "More" is his favourite.

"his speech as chldren usually started speaking in sentences at one"

That is total bollox and the early years professional needs retraining.

On average children say their first word at 12 months. Some children say their first word at 8 months and some say their first word at 18 months. Most children can put two words together by 24 months.

Signing actually helps promote language, provided you say the word as well as sign. The shape of the signs help visual learning and the sound is auditory.

Provided your baby can make lots of lovely noises he will be fine. If you have any concerns contact your health visitor.

Yes, your EYP is completely mad. Unless s/he has no idea that 'age 1' covers the full range of 12 months up to 'age 2' and quite a lot of things change in that time! FWIW my dd is 14 months and babbles gibberish. I'm reasonably sure she thinks she's saying words, but none of them are intelligible to us!

Also, there's no evidence that baby signing makes any difference to speech development one way or the other.

Sign language does not hurt development of speech. This study shows it helps.

deafness.about.com/od/babysigning/f/signspeech.htm

Quite mad. Because I used to blog such things, I can tell you that DD had 14 words aged 19 months, and certainly no sentences (first sentence was 'daddy, no!', to my delight). My friend's DD spoke in sentences at 18mo, and it was weird (she couldn't walk though). By happy coincidence, DD is now 6, and probably could read Harry Potter, but it would take FOREVER and she would not be nearly so good at the accents as I am. She can't ride a bike without stabilisers (actually 3yo across the road can, though that is unusual).

My 22 month old said "horsey poo" today. I was very proud. Mad old bat. Ignore her.

As everyone else has said, absolute rubbish.

Total rubbish.

My earliest talker (who, by the way, I signed with) talked in sentences at about 18 months. My latest talker only started stringing 2 words together at 2.

Oh, and while we're at it my 6 year can't read Harry Potter, despite being in the top reading group in his class, and my 4yr old still has stabilisers on her bike.

So there.

Thank you all! She must be!! Thanks for the links too.

what a load of old tripe. FWIW my DS said "all gone" at 8 months - yet now at almost 3 he can not put two words togther at all - and cannot say all gone!! sheesh! in fact he can't even say gone!!!

she is absolutely totally wrong, and crazy! i think the average is 50 words @ 2 and putting 2 words together at 2, not even proper sentences. although 50 does seem quite few for 2 but thats what i've heard from hvs and slt to look for at that age. if a dc was talking sentences at 12 months would be extremely rare.
do they have a lot of contact with children yet still think that?!?!?! how weird

She is wrong.
As a very rough guide
single words at one
two word sentences at two
and more complex sentences at three
Ignore her.