5 Early Warning Signs Your Toddler May Need Speech Therapy

As a parent, you watch your child’s every move and celebrate their first steps, first words, and all of those little milestones in between. However, what happens when those milestones seem delayed? If your toddler isn’t talking much, is difficult to understand, or avoids communication altogether, you may be worried that something more is going on. Do they need speech therapy?

You are not alone. Many parents have the same concern. The good news is that speech and language delays are common in early childhood. Recognizing the early signs and knowing when speech therapy is needed can make a substantial difference in your child's speech development. Below, we will break down the 5 early warning signs that your toddler may need speech therapy. 

1. Limited Vocabulary for Their Age

While every child develops at their own pace, one of the most notable signs that a toddler may need speech therapy is a limited vocabulary compared to their peers of the same age. General speech and language milestones that pediatricians and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) use as benchmarks are:

• 12 months - By 12 months, most toddlers can say one or two simple words like “ma-ma” and “da-da”.
• 18 months - By 18 months, most toddlers typically have a vocabulary of 10-20 words.
• 2 Years - By 2 years of age, a toddler should have a vocabulary of 50 or more words. They will also start to combine 2-3 words.
• 3 Years - By 3 years of age, toddlers will have a vocabulary of 250+ words and will be able to combine 3-4 words for short sentences. 

For a further break-down of the various speech milestones by age, check out our following blogs:

• 1 Year Old Speech Milestones
• 18 Month Old Speech Milestones
• 2 Year Old Speech Milestones
• 3 Year Old Speech Milestones

2. Lack of Gestures or Nonverbal Communication

Before learning to speak, toddlers will use nonverbal communication, such as gestures, to communicate. Examples include:

• Pointing
• Waving
• Nodding their head
• Reaching of arms to be picked up
• Using eye contact and facial expressions in a meaningful way

A toddler who isn’t using gestures by 12 months, or doesn’t combine gestures with sounds or words by 18 months, may require speech therapy. 

3. Struggling to Follow Directions or Understand Spoken Language

Speech is not only about talking. It is also about understanding. The ability to understand language is known as receptive language. If your toddler can hear you but does not respond to simple requests like “bring me the ball” or “sit down”, it may indicate that they have a receptive language delay. Warning signs include:

• Not responding to their name by 12 months.
• Inability to point to objects or body parts when named by 18-24 months.
• Difficulty following simple one-step directions by 18-24 months. 

4. Difficult to Understand

It can be normal for toddlers to mispronounce/jumble their words as they learn to speak. However, by age 2, parents should understand 50% of what their child is saying. By age 3, they should understand 75% of what their child says, and by the age of 4, even strangers should be able to understand them. 

Dropping the beginning or ending sounds in a word, such as saying “ca” instead of “cat”, using mostly vowel sounds, as well as frustration when not understood, can all be indicators that it's time to start speech therapy. Getting them help early will yield better results and prevent them from getting further behind. 

5. Lack of Interest in Communication or Social Interaction

Children are naturally social. If your toddler is uninterested in interacting with others, avoids eye contact, and prefers to play alone, this could be a sign that they require speech therapy. 

Warning signs that your toddler may require speech therapy include:

• Does not imitate words, gestures, or actions
• Does not attempt to communicate their needs
• Rarely makes eye contact with others
• Rarely smiles at others
• Does not respond to social cues 

How to Encourage Language Development in Toddlers at Home

When encouraging language development in toddlers, it's important to keep a calm, patient, and positive attitude. You are your child’s first teacher. The more you model, repeat, and respond to their communication attempts, the more they will learn.

Below are some simple tips to help your child build communication skills at home.

• Talk constantly - Narrate what you are doing, even simple things like “Mommy is making breakfast”.
• Read Read Read - Read to your child as often as possible. Books help build vocabulary and support comprehension. 
• Encourage imitation - Make silly sounds and wait for them to copy you. 
• Pause and wait - Be patient and give your child time to respond instead of jumping in to correct or help them find the words. 

We outline an array of other tips and games in our blog titled Speech Therapy Activities For Toddlers.

When to Start Speech Therapy for Toddlers

If you suspect that your child is behind, don’t wait for them to “grow out of it”. Early intervention with speech therapy is key and can make a huge difference in their confidence, communication skills, and even educational success down the road. In fact, early language skills are one of the best predictors of academic, social, and employment success in the future. Getting your child help early can also prevent behavioral and self-esteem struggles.

If you suspect that your toddler may require speech therapy, schedule a free introductory call with Great Speech today.