2 – 3 years – Speech and Language development

By 2 years

One of the most common questions we hear is, “Is my child developing normally?” (or something to that effect).  It’s important to remember that between the ages of 12-24 months there is some room to move in terms of what is considered “normal”.  For example, some children by the age of 12 months will have multiple first words, while others may not start using words until a couple of months later.  While there is a relatively large span of what is considered “normal”, children generally develop within certain timeframes, and there are things you should be on the lookout for.

At around two years of age (and onwards), children tend to have an “explosion” of language.  This can be an exciting time.

Below is a table that outlines some of the language and play skills a child should be developing by and from the age of 2 years.  Below the table are some ‘red flags’ to be wary of.

Receptive Language (Understanding)	Expressive Language(Talking)
Able to understand and follow multi-stage instructions Understands a variety of word forms including nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions (e.g. in, on, under), pronouns (he, she, it, I) During this time period, your child should respond appropriately to basic ‘wh’ questions – Where, What, Who. Be able to identify most basic body parts Understand basic concepts such as up/down, on/off, in/out Gradually able to respond to more direct “Yes or No” questions.	Vocabulary of about 50 meaningful words (some children may have up to about 200). By the age of 3 a child should have at least 200 words (even much more – in the vicinity of 600-900!) Beginning to combine two words together (by 2 years or, at the very least 2 ½ years) Using 2-3 word phrases and short sentences by 3 years Identifying and labelling basic colours Pointing and naming items of interest to them in their environment and in books. They will be using a variety of word forms (verbs, nouns, adjectives, pronouns (I, You, He, She), basic ‘wh’ questions (who, that, where) and prepositions (on, under, in)). Will begin to vary word tense (i.e. talk about what happened yesterday) and by about 3, will be developing skills to better express their emotions and tell simple stories. By the age of 3, a child’s speech should be approximately 75% intelligible (or understandable). This does not mean their speech is perfect, just that you and an unfamiliar listener are able to understand what your child is trying to communicate. Sounds mastered within this period include: p, h, m, n, w, b. They should be well on their way to mastering k, g, t, d, y and f. (For information regarding speech development see Children’s Speech )
Play & Pragmatics
Story times will get longer as your child is able to attend and engage with books. (See our Early Literacy Skills blog Pre – Literacy Development ) Enjoy stories of longer length and complexity Begin to engage in parallel play A child will be imitating what he/she sees in life within their play (i.e. brush the dolls hair, make dolls dinner) From around 2 ½ years, play will become more imaginative and they will engage in more elaborate pretend play. A child will begin to engage in simple games that require turn taking with yourself By 3 years, a child may start to take part in cooperative play.

If you are worried about your baby’s communication (even if you’re just unsure), it is advisable to contact a speech pathologist.  Some things to watch out for are in your 2 year old are:

• Your child is not using any two-word phrases independently (i.e. without imitating you)
• Your child is showing signs of frustration that they are not understood
• Has difficulty following basic two step instructions
• Speech is always difficult to understand – Speech is less than 50% intelligible (or understandable) by two years or 75% by 3 years.
• Has difficulty identifying/pointing to common objects/pictures when named (i.e. Where’s the cat?)
• Your child has an ‘unusual’ (or ‘husky’ ‘hoarse’) voice

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our speech pathologist Jenna Butterworth who is a Speech Pathology Australia member.

If you have questions about speech pathology or for results focused speech therapy, contact your local doctor who will arrange for you to see a speech pathologist in Sydney. Contact us today!

Sources

American Speech-Language Hearing Association Website (2011). How does your child hear and talk? Birth to one year. Accessed from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on 27/08/2013

Lanza, J.R. & Flahive, L.K. (2008). LinguiSystems guide to communication milestones: 2009 Edition. East Moline, IL: LinguiSystems, Inc. Retrieved from LinguiSystems Guide to Communication Milestones (9-1-2012)

Paul, R. (2006).  Language Disorders: From Infancy through Adolescence (3^rd Ed). St Louis: Mosby Inc.

Speech Pathology Australia (2013). Helping your baby talk. Accessed from Helping your baby to talk – Speech Pathology Australia on 27/08/13.