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When To Worry As Your Child Grows-Up

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Children grow up at different speeds. How can parents know when their child is on track when it comes to the development of speech?

"The development of language is one of the most amazing changes that occurs between the ages of 1 and 4 years," said Dr. Brenda Hussey-Gardner, a child developmental specialist at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children.

Here is a list of milestones that your child should be reaching at a certain age. For instance, at 10 months, your child should be saying Dada and Mama.

Age Milestone
2 months Coo
6 months Single syllables
10 months Say "Dada"/"Mama" appropriately
1 year Say two words (not including names); follow simple one-step directions
15 months Point to indicate wants
18 months Say seven to nine words (not including names); point to several body parts; point to pictures
2 years 50-word vocabulary; use two-word sentences; follow two-step directions
2 1/2 years Names six pictures; answer simple questions; pronounce p, b, m, k, g, w, h, n, d, and t correctly
3 years 250-word vocabulary; speak clearly but may still have difficulty pronouncing r, l, s, and th

Hussey-Gardner suggests that parents talk to their doctor or call Child Find at (800) 535-0182 for information about obtaining an evaluation of their child's language development if the child is not meeting the following milestones.

Hussey-Gardner says that parents should trust their instinct. If you think your child may be developmentally slow you may be right. Also, Hussey-Gardner said, "If a child is developmentally delayed, the earlier the intervention, the better."

For more information about speech, physical or occupational therapy evaluations or intervention at the University of Maryland, please call (410) 328-0586.


This page was last updated on: July 25, 2008.

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