Signs of Speech Problems in Toddlers
When you’re concerned about your child’s development, things get overwhelming quickly. You might hear a lot of different opinions from friends, family, doctors, and other professionals. And when you’re in a late-night search session, Google can go from being encouraging to terrifying to clarifying to exhausting before you ever get a chance to process.
So if you’re wondering what the signs of speech problems in toddlers are—and you’d prefer research-backed info that’s not going to freak you out!—we’re here to help you simplify.
Speech Problems vs. Language Problems
You may have heard the terms “speech” and “language” used interchangeably—it happens all the time!—but there is a big difference between the two.
Simply put, speech is how we say sounds and words. It involves the actual, physical element of moving and coordinating the lips, tongue, jaw, vocal cords and palate to produce spoken words. So, when we say “speech problems” we’re referring to any difficulties that arise when a child is trying to actually produce sounds and say words.
Language, on the other hand, refers to the words we use and how we use them to convey meaning. Language includes what words mean, how to make new words, how to put words together, and what we should say at different times. Unlike speech, language does not have to be spoken (e.g., sign language).
So, just keep in mind as we move forward that all of the signs here could actually be indicative of speech and/or language problems.
Remember: Signs Don’t Guarantee Problems
Below, we’ll outline all the signs of speech and language problems that we look for in toddlers. But as you go through this list, keep in mind that even if your toddler does show signs of a speech problem, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a speech problem. All it means for sure at this point is that you’ve noticed something worth mentioning to your pediatrician or health care provider. (Good job, mama.)
We know it can be a scary feeling to notice that your child may not be meeting a milestone, but remember that by noticing it and bringing it up you’ve done a great thing! Because if your child does need support, now they can get it ASAP. You’re an amazing parent. A fantastic parent, actually! And you haven’t done anything wrong. (We just wanted to drive that point home in case it’s all feeling a bit heavy right now.)
Signs of Speech Problems from Birth to 3 Years
Here are the signs of a language disorder broken down by age range, as outlined originally by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):
Birth to 3 Months
Sign of a Language Disorder: Not smiling or playing with others.
Because back-and-forth interaction between two people is key for communication, and because babies need social engagement in order for language to develop, one of the first language milestones we look for is a social smile, which typically appears by 6 weeks of age.
Toddler parent? Don’t skip over this section! This is relevant for you, too.
In therapy, when we see toddlers who aren’t speaking much or at all yet, often we’ll take the focus off of words initially. This might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s actually very important because it allows us to make sure all prerequisites for verbal communication (like social engagement) are in place.
4 to 7 Months
Sign of a Language Disorder: Not babbling.
Like social smiling, babbling is a necessary language milestone—one your toddler will need to master before they can say words. So it’s definitely one worth watching for!
Babbling typically begins during 4 to 7 months, but we have seen many babies and have heard from families in our TalkToddler community, Instagram community and at our in-person events who say their babies didn’t babble until 8 to 9 months.
If your baby isn’t babbling yet, try to intentionally encourage babbling at home.
7 to 12 Months
Signs of a Language Disorder: Making only a few sounds. Not using gestures, like waving or pointing.
Gestures are so important, but they’re often overlooked in language development. So we like to do our best to bring a lot of attention to this super-important step!
Like smiling and babbling, gestures preceed words. (Your baby will wave goodbye before they say goodbye.) And, just like a word, a gesture is a symbol for the meaning of something. So, when your baby uses gestures, they may not be speaking, but they are communicating—very clearly and very intentionally!
7 Months to 2 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Not understanding what others say.
Typically, around 7 months of age, babies begin to understand words they commonly hear in their environment, like their name and their caregivers’ names. Then, as they grow, their understanding of what the people around them say continues to develop—so chances are that if your baby is in this age range, they understand much more than they are able to say!
Not sure if your toddler understands language? Ask them things like, “Where is the ball?” or give simple directions like, “Go get your shoes”. Then, wait—without giving them any more hints or instructions! It’s important to let just your words do the talking, because many parents we see in therapy assume their little ones are understanding their language, when in fact they’re just really good at relying on other cues and routines! (Things like seeing everyone else in the family going to the door and getting their shoes on.)
Some other things you might want to check for: Can they point to familiar pictures in a book? Can they identify their body parts? These are things you can gently “test” and practice at home.
12 to 18 Months
Sign of a Language Disorder: Saying only a few words.
During this age range, spoken vocabulary typically develops really fast! We expect to see vocabulary “boom” at least a little bit. So the number of words a child can say is one (of many) things we assess to determine whether or not a child’s communication development is on track.
18 Months to 2 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Not putting two words together.
Between 1.5 and 2 years of age, toddlers begin to say short phrases made up of two or more words. This could be something like, “Dada go!” or “Bubble up!”
Remember that at this age, we still don’t expect the words to be pronounced correctly, so it’s okay if it doesn’t sound as clear as it does when an adult says it.
2 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Saying fewer than 50 words.
As shown in the images below, we look for toddlers to be saying at least 50 words by age two. But, on average, 24-month-old children say about 200 to 300 words. And, they’ll use a variety of word types, like nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and pronouns.
Here’s what to look for by 24 months:
2 to 3 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Having trouble playing and talking with other children.
Don’t worry, we don’t expect 2- to 3-year-olds to be having full on conversations with their little friends at this age! But, we do want to see them being interested in and interacting with them.
2.5 to 3 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Having problems with early reading and writing. For example, your child may not like to draw or look at books.
At this age, toddlers typically demonstrate a longer and longer attention span (at least when it comes to activities they love!). They should show interest in listening when reading a book, and they’ll begin early writing skills, like scribbling.
Toddler Speech Sounds: What’s Common and What’s a Concern
There are SO many speech sounds that toddlers are still learning to say and often, that’s totally okay. Speech is a very complex skill, so it’s very typical for toddlers to do things like:
Simplify words (“wa-wa” for “water” or “nana” for “banana”)
Leave off the last sound in a word (“do” instead of “dog”)
Substitute one sound for another (“tootie” for “cookie”)
Although these are developmentally appropriate ways toddlers simplify speech when learning to speak, there are some speech sounds that we would expect toddlers to use accurately by ages 2-3.
Just like with the above information, they’re broken down by age, based on the list of speech problem signs created and published by ASHA.
1 to 2 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Not saying p, b, m, h, and w the right way in words most of the time.
P, b, m, h, and w are early-developing speech sounds. Toddlers can typically make these speech sounds first, simply because they’re easier to say than many of the others.
At one or two years old, your child may begin to say things like “ball,” “pop,” “mama,” “hi,” and “whoa”—words made up of mostly easy speech sounds!
2 to 3 Years
Sign of a Language Disorder: Not saying k, g, f, t, d, and n the right way in words most of the time. Being hard to understand, even to people who know the child well.
Within this age range, you should start to hear your toddler producing a variety of speech sounds. And because they can produce more speech sounds, their words should also start to become longer and more complex.
If Your Toddler Shows Signs of Speech Problems…
Try not to panic. Remember, a sign doesn’t mean there is a problem, but it does mean your toddler (and you, as their parent) might need a little support!
#1 Find In-Person Support
If you do see some of these signs of a language or speech language delay or disorder, it’s important to take action now. Early intervention is key, and depending on where you live, assessments are often free or low-cost.
Related: The Importance of Early Intervention
#2 Work On It At Home
If you’d like, we can also help you at home with our TalkToddler Community. As a member, you’ll hear directly from us on topics like what you can do at home to help take your child’s communication skills to the next level. Plus, you’ll have access to us if questions come up along the way!
#3 Learn Language Milestones
Especially when you have concerns, it’s important to know which milestones your child has already met, which ones they’re working towards, and which ones they’ll learn next. Having this information can direct you in your search for support. It’s also information you can share with your child’s pediatrician or speech therapist!
Our free Language Milestones Checklist is a quick and easy way to learn and track your child’s language development. We definitely recommend downloading a free copy!