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Original poster

just checking about speech development age 2

14 replies

Caththerese1973 · 16/03/2005 05:09

Hi
my little girl was rather late to start talking. She had little to say until she was about 20 months. Now she has just turned two and talks in little sentences, so she has made marvellous progress. But I read different 'milestone' guides that say things like 'child at two asks questions'. Now my sweet baby does not ask any questions as of yet. She also confuses pronouns a lot. Eg will get my shoes for me and say 'here are my shoes' (as opposed to 'here are your shoes').
When she was 20 months and not talking I considered speech therapy but as she made such rapid improvement I decided not to worry (against the advice of a speech therapist, might I add). Now I am wondering if maybe she does need therapy. She seems really smart and I am sure her language will come along on its own. I am just wondering what other mum's experiences are: perhaps these particular milestones are a little ambitious?

OP posts:
Blackduck · 16/03/2005 08:28

Blimey - if they are accurate then my ds is waaaaaaaaaaaaay behind. He's not yet two (22 months...), but isn't anywhere near questions, and isn't really doing sentences either....He has a wide and varied vocab (giraffe included...), and can make himself understood....but questions!?

nnosam · 16/03/2005 08:32

my ds was 2 in december and is no way near the stage of asking ? nither is he doing full sentences, we get the lots of diff words put together but no i, me, you, the, and, iykwim.

logic · 16/03/2005 08:32

I wouldn't worry. My ds' speech didn't really take off until a month ago and he's 2 + 1/2. They are not supposed to get the hang of pronouns or do proper sentences until 2 + 1/2 . These milestones are nothing but a guide.

Kelly1978 · 16/03/2005 08:40

I wouldn't worry neither, my ds was late talking too, and he is catching up fine. I think questions at 2 is expecting a bit much, I though it was generally starting to put words together at 2.

Bozza · 16/03/2005 08:51

Think they will use a statement when they want to ask a q. ie they have the concept of questioning in their head but are unable to vocalise it in that way. Also agree with others - you can't really expect pronouns at that age. My own DS would have said "here are mummy's shoes" as opposed to "here are your shoes". And at that age would have referred to himself by name, so "DS wants juice" rather than "I want juice" for instance. But then maybe thats because I talked to him like that too.

bobbybob · 16/03/2005 09:00

My ds has just turned two and never asks a question as such. His speech is more a list of demands! He may say "Bob want fimbles, bob ask mummy."

Pronouns are confusing because when you repeat the sentence back it is wrong. Most kids I know will go to great lengths to avoid them.

Some of Bob's friends only have about 20 words and no sentences at all, or only in the third person so I think your dd sounds as if she is doing extremely well.

Original poster
Caththerese1973 · 16/03/2005 09:39

Just wanted to say to blackduck that at 22 months my daughter was still just doing single words. It is really only over the last month that she has begun putting words together. It is weird - some of her 'sentences' are quite complex in a way - like she says 'i don't know' if you ask her something and she's not sure, or 'i don't mind'. Others are just things are just statements like 'Hannah drink' or 'Hannah and BB (her teddy) go out'. I think she has picked up some formulaic expressions from me (eg 'I don't mind): other than that she thinks if herself in the third person.
Child language development is so interesting to watch, don't you think?

OP posts:
singersgirl · 16/03/2005 11:13

Also, I think the sort of 'questions' that they mean are probably "Where shoes?" kind of thing, rather than anything more - but there's such a huge range of variation in all of these milestones. I remember reading somewhere when DS1 was about 18 months that children had about 20 words and should be starting to combine them. Well, with only 20 words there isn't a lot of combining you can do really....DS1 had lots of words but didn't put them together until about 21 months.

singersgirl · 16/03/2005 11:13

Also, I think the sort of 'questions' that they mean are probably "Where shoes?" kind of thing, rather than anything more - but there's such a huge range of variation in all of these milestones. I remember reading somewhere when DS1 was about 18 months that children had about 20 words and should be starting to combine them. Well, with only 20 words there isn't a lot of combining you can do really....DS1 had lots of words but didn't put them together until about 21 months.

singersgirl · 16/03/2005 11:13

Also, I think the sort of 'questions' that they mean are probably "Where shoes?" kind of thing, rather than anything more - but there's such a huge range of variation in all of these milestones. I remember reading somewhere when DS1 was about 18 months that children had about 20 words and should be starting to combine them. Well, with only 20 words there isn't a lot of combining you can do really....DS1 had lots of words but didn't put them together until about 21 months.

singersgirl · 16/03/2005 11:13

OOoooooooops! Sorry for repeat post! Screen froze.....

piffle · 16/03/2005 11:26

my dd had her 2nd speech and language assessment yesterday
they tested her with displaying a variety of household objects, spoon, fork, knife, keys, block, apple etc
put the brick on the plate
put the dolly in the box
feed the dolly
Also static pictures - who is sleeping, who is sitting, who is eating, who is washing.

dd needed to get 2/3 in order to be assessed as understanding at a two word level which is all she "needs" to be doing at 28 mths.
I know my dd talks less than other kids her age, but now she has been formally checked twice and has been given the all clear.
If two words are being used together and the vocab is over 50 words then she is likely to be fine
It is so hard not to compare though...

jane313 · 16/03/2005 13:03

My son is almost 21 months and only says about 20-30 words. He does babble all the time and he has all the right intonation for sentances. I did worry a bot as some of his friends are reciting whole nursery rhymes! But enough are just on the car ball more stage too.

Prnouns are really hard. I mean I can use mine and so can my son and we can both be you. Its avery hard concept to explain

alison222 · 16/03/2005 13:58

Don't forget age 2 goes on until they are 3. and there is a whole lot of speech development going on in that year. My DS had very few words until aged 2 then the floodgates opened and new words came out at the rate of several a day for months. They gradually started to be strung together into sentences. The pronoun thing took AGES and were back to front for so long I was beginning to dispair of it getting sorted out. He is now four. Has a vocab that at times makes me stop and stare and talks ninety to the dozen . Now his only problem seems to be irregular past tenses, but all his peers still seem to have the same problem so I'm not worrying.
DD is now 25 months and the pattern seems to be the same with her. At the moment words are coming out at the rate of 2 or 3 a day, and are 2 and 3 word "sentences". It will happen at their own pace, and when it finally gets going you wonder when they are ever going to be quiet again

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