Most children are able to say a couple of words before their first birthday, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. It takes several years for children to learn to speak in sentences that are more than a few words long. You can encourage your toddler to begin speaking by talking to her and exposing her to language.
Learning to Speak
In order to produce spoken words, toddlers must learn to coordinate muscle actions of their lips, jaw, tongue and vocal tract. Toddlers must also learn to recognize different sounds and understand what they mean. Learning to speak is difficult. Delayed speech or language development is the most common developmental problem in children, affecting 5 percent to 10 percent of preschool children, according to the University of Michigan Health system website.
Language Development Milestones
Babies usually begin babbling or gurgling in a speechlike way by 4 to 6 months old, according to National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Most babies begin listening when spoken to and understanding words for common items between 7 months old and 1 year old. Babies usually speak their first words, such as "dada" or "mama," by their first birthday. By the time most toddlers are 2 years old, they can create one- or two-word questions and learn new words regularly. Toddlers who are 3 years old typically can create sentences with four or more words and answer simple questions.
Encouraging Language Development
You can help your toddler understand language and learn to speak by talking and reading to your child frequently. For example, narrate what you are doing, identify colors, count items, introduce animal sounds and sing simple songs and nursery rhymes. Ask your child lots of questions and give her time to answer. Avoid using too much baby talk after your toddler turns 2 years old. Instead, use proper language and listen to and expand on what your child says. In addition, model good grammar but don't correct grammatical mistakes.
Considerations
Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your toddler's language development. Although some children simply develop later than others, toddlers who don't speak may have disorders such as hearing loss, autism, intellectual disability, developmental speech and language disorder, or other learning disabilities, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Early treatment can help children with challenges to succeed so don't hesitate to bring up questions or concerns with your doctor.
References
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Your Baby's Hearing and Communicative Development Checklist
- University of Michigan Health System; Speech and Language Delay and Disorder; Kyla Boyse, R.N.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development
