What was your toddler's speech like at age two?

[charliearm]

Hello,

I'm just trying to get to grips with what's within the "normal range". My son is 21 months – and he has a few words, but rarely joins them up.

The words he has are often unclear / his own versions. For instance, variations of the sound "Ma/Ma, Meh/Meh, Mor/Mor" standing for various things like Mama, water, fox, more etc. He'll only link Bye (Buh-Buh) with other words, but that's about it in terms of sentences. Apart from that, the only words we have are mama / dada / nana / baby.

How does this compare with other children? The few children we've met at playgroups of a similar age seem to be much more advanced than this.

I'm doing everything I can to help him, plenty of reading, face to face chatting etc – but new words don't seem to be coming. I've also tried accessing Speech/Language help via local health visitors / NHS - but this has proved near impossible. I'm also not sure if it's all fine anyway – and he'll just develop this in his own time 😊

Any insights / experiences welcome.

Thank you so much. X

Have you tried Sing and Sign (or whatever its called these days). My eldest seemed to be slow to talk but once we had Sing and Sign classes, it truly showed me how much he understood and he would sign long, complicated ideas to me. He's actually very, very bright.

I really wouldn't worry too much about it. If he's not concentrating on talking right now, he'll be concentrated on learning something else.

My daughter had half a dozen words at two but did understand everything. At two years 3 months she suddenly came out with 5 & 6 word sentences during a week we were on holiday and hasn't stopped talking since. (She's 31 now) My son did it by the book.

Thank you so much – yes, we have been to a Sing and Sign course when he was a bit younger (and I try to incorporate signing as much as possible) – although he doesn't use much signing. And yes, perhaps just not worrying too much about it and just seeing how things develop at his own pace is best! 😊

Haha, fantastic!! Yes, he definitely understands so much more too. Perhaps a good excuse for us to book a summer holiday 😆 X

My daughter was 2 during lockdown so we had 11 weeks in a flat, just me and her, her speech was pretty incredible for her age as a result of that.
I do know several people with 2 year old boys who were significantly behind compared to little girls.
My work colleague took her little boy to speech therapy in the end for a short while to help him x

We signed from 6 months, so she didn't really bother too much with talking (I don't think, she's 15 now) but she was able to sign in sentences. I really recommend it as it uses a different part of the brain to speech so if there is an issue they can still communicate.

It varied hugely. My eldest (who had full time full on attention of both parents) said three word sentences, occasionally a bit longer. His sister could talk in long, complex sentences at two. Next sister rarely said a word until she was five, although she could understand perfectly. Younger brother was a 'point and grunt' child until three and youngest talked when she could get a word in edgeways but at two was still at the three words plus stage.

Refused to speak, then magically started speaking properly almost overnight because we had another baby and didn't have the time/will/energy to make our usual superhuman efford to decode gibberish/pointing any more. This was a little over 2.

IME it varies a LOT at this age. My DS1 had more words at 18m than my DS2 had at 2yo. Funnily enough now they are teenagers DS1 is the quiet one and DS2 is very chatty! I honestly wouldn't worry too much at this stage.

Biggest advise - do not compare to other children. Its the biggest joy thief. All children are different and even those in the same house brought up the same way can be completely different in terms of development.

DS at two had hardly any words (probs around 5-10ish maybe at a push), no sentences, mainly babble. By 3, none stop talker, understood everything he said, full on conversation. And at 7 he hasnt stopped talking since.
DD at 2 had loads and you could have a conversation but not necessarily understand what she was talking about but got the jist.
DD is now nearly 3 and I still find myself asking her alot what she is talking about but most of the time it is understandable.

I did nothing different between the two. Same baby classes, same nursery setting (with the same staff) at the same age when they started. Roughly same amount of none nursery social interaction with children. I didn't baby talk with either and always spent the days explaining things and pointing out words for things. Yet they were completely different in speech development at around 2 years

Something else to reassure - my friends son didn't speak a single word until he was 3 years old. By the time he was 4 years he didn't stop talking like a typical 4 year old.

I think there’s a huge range. If you jab a look at the 2 year review questionnaire, you’ll see what they’re looking for as an expected level at 2 (although some children will be ahead) - it’s things like can they copy a two word sentence you say, can they put two words together to express 2 ideas e.g ‘mummy gone’ and can they name an object in one picture e.g a ball or a cat.

Have you had his 2 year review yet? It’s probably worth chatting to the health visitor at that if you’re wondering if he’s getting on okay.

Wiiiiide range of normal at this age. My son was putting short sentences together and was generally very verbal, my daughter was starting to put words together but her speech then took a long time to really take off and is still slightly behind at 4. One friend's son is almost 3 and understands everything but barely talks, another friend's daughter is 3 in May and only just putting words together. My husband apparently pointed and grunted until he was 3 and relied on his older brothers (but is fine nowadays).

Just keep talking and reading with him, those are the only things you can really do at this age I think.

Lovely full sentence but DD2 had situational mutism so no one outside the home would have known what her speach was like.

Have you look at the 24 month check questionnaire?

If you’re concerned about speach you need to ask GP for a referal for a hearing test and referal to SALT. In most areas you can self refer to SALT.

I think that sounds fine, there's a lot of variety.

Look up the ASQ for his age and see what the questions are. The NHS does a 24 month ASQ for their 2 year check but you can google one for 21 months.

If you're worried, don't go through your HV, go to your GP. Any speech and language referral will probably want to see that his hearing has been checked before going any further, so that's what you'd need to discuss with the GP.

At 2 they should have around 200 words and be understood around 50% of the time by someone other than their caregiver.

I had one child who had 30 words and probably understood 10% of the time by anyone other than me and another who’s speech was better than many children in reception / year 1/2.

Both children have PLENTY to say now and the one who had the speech delay is doing really well with his phonics, reading and writing. He’s not the brightest but he certainly one of the more capable children academically. Just to reassure you.

Expectations by 2 are 50 words ( or his versions used consistently for the same thing) and starting to join 2 words to make simple phrases. There's a nice 'ages and stages' guide for parents here, and they have a helpline if you're concerned.

speechandlanguage.org.uk/help-for-families/ages-and-stages/18-24-months/

My son was the same. I was concerned and he had been seen by a SALT. I swear I picked him up from nursery one day and it all came tumbling out on the way home.

Mine is the same age. We're playing a road puzzle.

"Motorbike! There! Motorbike there! I get more puzzle. I do it. Mine. Not you mummy. Eels on the bus. Look mummy, my dressing gown! I see Anna Elsa. Dob dab dob do do do do do. Me I me. Read Albie. Yep, no. Noooo. I sit down. Scuse me mummy. Um na num. I like that one. I want that one. Everything! I like everything!"

It's an endless commentary.

We did sing and sign, we read loads, and we hardly have any screen time (20mins a day maybe?) and this one is a little sibling who has a very chatty 4yo big sibling.

My eldest was a lot quieter at this age.

They're all totally different.

My youngest DS is 22 months and says a similar amount of words but does seem to understand everything!
My eldest DS is 10 and he didn't say anything other than babbling (like his own little language) until he was nearly 3. The HV was looking into referrals to speech and language when it was like he suddenly started talking overnight! His speech came on so quickly and there have been no concerns since. It has definitely made me slightly more relaxed with my youngest's speech development.

Thank you so much – so many varied experiences, it's amazing how they all develop so uniquely. Ill take a look at those links/questionnaires a couple of PP posted.

Sounds like he's well within the range of "normal" though - feeling a lot better, thanks again.

Just as a couple asked, we haven't had the two year check yet. Here, it's done around 27-30 months, so won't be for another six+ months at least. I'll look into SLT again if concerns continue and definitely re-double efforts with signing.

I wouldn't worry too much, @charliearm - your ds sounds very much like my ds1 at the same age - he had very few words, and quite a lot of the words he did have were ones only we could understand (Cor-cuck-cuck was helicopter, for example, and Air-see-see was airplane).

I was in hospital with ds2 when he was only a few weeks old, and ds1 was 22 months old, and one of the things I did to pass the time was to make a list of all the words ds1 could say, and if I recall correctly, it was only 35 words, and like your ds, he wasn't stringing them together either.

He soon started talking more and quickly became very fluent - he could talk for hours on end about trains, without hesitation, deviation or repetition - and he went on to do a Law degree, which requires a wide vocabulary and the ability to debate points of law - so I don't think his early lack of vocabulary has caused him any long term problems.

They do all develop at different speeds, and I'm willing to bet that your son is ahead of his peers in some areas, and matching them in others, as well as maybe having less speech/vocabulary than some of them. It is easy to say 'don't worry', but I know it is a LOT harder to do - worrying is one of my core skills, and I found so many things to fret about, while the boys were growing up - and still do, even though they are 31, 29 and 27, and ds1 is married with a child himself, and twins on the way!

One of mine could talk in full sentences, I could hold a proper conversation with her and she was saying words such as trapezium. My other one could put three words together at that age. They’re all different and we did the same with both.

Take a look at this OP - my child improved no end when i simplified language for him.

5 words at her two week check done a few weeks after her birthday. Apparently that was "low end of normal range". It wasn't until she started school that she was diagnosed with Speech Delay, at selective mutism at 5 (not bitter... she was let down).

However she is teenager now, still quieter than average, still has selective mutism but improves every year. But her vocabulary is fine... she caught up mid Primary.

The one thing they did do was check her hearing. There was signs of glue ear.

My son at 2 wasn't similar to this, maybe a few more words. Over the next year it came in leaps and bounds and now he's very chatty and there's no concern. Apparently I didn't speak at all until the age of 2 myself but then more than made up for it in the years that followed. Give it a bit more time.