How much actual conversation should a 2.9 year old be able to have?

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Cousins DS is 2.9 and she's worried about his speech. He doesn't ask for anything as she always offers first...he wont ask for drink or biscuit etc...eats very little generally but if you give him something he'll take it and taste it...he says Bye bye and "hello X" when he sees someone close.... and also a lot of phrases from TV...sometimes but not often, in context of what's going on.

So jumping in puddles he'll say "Everyone loves jumping in muddy puddles"

But he has no observations of his own. He might say "Cat!" or something when he sees an animal but he usually gets it wrong....but he is VERY good with numbers and can recognise and count objects to about 10 or sometimes more.

Does anyone out there have a child of similar age who has this little speech? Or has done but then they caught up?

I should add that he's not in any setting at all.

How much language is he able to understand?

I think they are expected to have around 50+ words by the age of 24mths, and to have started putting words together to make at least 2-word sentences. So something like "Want biscuit" or "Go park".

The echolalia you describe (repeating whole phrases) wouldn't be counted as a sentence in this case.

I think your cousin needs to ask for a referral for her ds to be assessed to see if there are any underlying issues.

It's hard to tell what he understands...he does understand if you say "lets go and visit X" or "The park"

He wont say "want biscuit" or ask to go to the park or for a walk or anything. not ever.

At this age he would be expected to understand a lot of what is being said to him rather than just a few words or sentences.

Two of my children had similar problems with language. One didn't really speak at all at 2.9yrs and only understood a few single words. The other had lots of single words at 2yrs but they were nearly all numbers, shapes and colours. He too only understood a few single words and very basic two-word instructions.

Both children were referred to a paediatrician and also saw a speech and language therapist. They were able to catch up and even overtake children of their own age but both were diagnosed with autism.

This obviously doesn't mean that your cousin's ds also has autism though. It's just an example of how sometimes it can just be a case of needing extra help with language, but that at other times it can be a sign of a further issue.

I would speak to the HV about the concerns. Waiting lists for speech and language therapy can be long, so it's useful to try to get on there as soon as possible.