Speech
& Language: 12 to 15 months
By
15 months your child should say between 4-6 words. Along with
these new words, she should be understanding more and more
of what is said to her. She can use gestures and pointing
to express herself. If your child has not said her first word
by 15 months, consult your physician for an evaluation.
There
are many ways you can encourage your toddler to talk. Reading
books to her is a great way to improve her speech and language.
Children at this age love to have the same book read to them
over and over and over again. Book recommendations include
Brown
Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The
Very Hungry Caterpillar
,
and Goodnight
Moon. Using picture books and pointing to the pictures
and encouraging her to do so will also help expand her vocabulary
and comprehension.
Speech
& Language: 16 to 18 months
Your
child should know 10 or more words by the time she reaches
18 months. She should be able to point to words and objects
now. She is also learning to recognize body parts and should
be able to point a few out to you. She can follow simple directions
such as "get the ball" and "where are your
shoes?"
You
can encourage her speech and language by continuing to talk,
sing, and read to her. Take heron a walk and point out things
you see along the way. See if she can point to the birds,
the squirrel, the butterfly, or the yellow house. Now is a
good age to introduce colors, although it may be some time
before she masters color recognition.
Speech
& Language: 19 to 24 months
Between
19-24 months, your will see a language explosion. By the time
she reaches the age of two she will have a vocabulary of approximately
300 words. She should be able to use two to three word sentences
and should recognize and say her name. She may begin using
pronouns such as I, me, and you. The pronouns he and she may
be more difficult for her and she may use one or the other
for both genders.
If
your child does not appear to be reaching these speech
and language milestones an evaluation and early intervention
services may be necessary. Under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), children are guaranteed
certain services. Services available vary from state
to state, but many states offer services free of charge
through the public school system or other governmental
agency. These services vary from group to individual
therapy programs to direct visits to your home. Your
pediatrician should help direct you to the correct
state agency to assist you in finding services.
