Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech delays in toddlers may not always seem so straightforward. How do you know if your 2-year-old has a speech delay? And if they do, how can you help them?
Here at Expressable, we work with toddlers and kids around the country who have speech delays. Our speech therapists are experts in diagnosing and treating speech delays in toddlers.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide to understanding the signs of a speech delay in 2-year-olds. Get expert tips for helping your child learn to talk at home and knowing when your toddler might need speech therapy.
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Start the screenerSigns of speech delay in a 2-year-old
You’ve probably heard that all children develop differently and at different rates. This is certainly true! No child’s development will look identical to another child at the same age.
However, there are some milestones to watch for to make sure your toddler is generally on track with their speech and language skills. Here are the key signs that can mean a speech delay in a 2-year-old:
Not using two-word phrases by age 24 months (such as “My turn!” or “More swing!”)
Not having a spoken vocabulary of around 50 words or more
Unable to answer basic questions (such as “What’s that?” or “Where are your shoes?”)
Unable to have short, back-and-forth conversations
Frequent frustration when trying to communicate
Using gestures or sounds more than words when trying to say something
Can a child with a speech delay “catch up?”
After reading these signs, if you think your child may have a speech delay, try not to worry. There are so many ways your child can learn, be supported, and make progress!
Right now, you might be wondering: “Will my child ever catch up?” For many children, the answer is yes! Early intervention is one of the most important things you can do to help your child start making gains in communication.
It’s important to know that while a speech delay can exist alone, it can sometimes be a symptom of another diagnosis. For example, one of the main signs of autism is a speech delay. Neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, and motor speech disorders such as childhood apraxia of speech, can also cause difficulty speaking.
Having another diagnosis alongside a speech delay will affect the type of treatment your child needs and what their progress looks like. It’s important not to jump to any conclusions, but it is wise to keep track of your child’s overall development. Tell your child’s pediatrician about your concerns about their speech, as well as anything else in their development that stands out to you.
How can you help your 2-year-old learn to talk?
There are so many ways you can help your child learn to talk. Our speech therapists recommend these four techniques to try at home:
1 Interact and talk with your child often
If your child seems to be a late talker, think about times in your day when you can engage and talk with them even more. Even if they aren’t speaking yet, speak to them! Give them opportunities to participate in a conversation with you.
Let’s take the example of getting your toddler ready for the day. Start by narrating what you’re doing, providing natural language modeling. You can say something like, “Let’s get your shoes. Can you sit down? Great job! Where do your shoes go?” Your child may point to their feet. You can say, “Yes, you’re right, they go on your feet!”
Does your child tend to watch a lot of TV or spend a lot of time on the iPad? Swapping some of that screentime with fun play activities, or going to the park or playing outside, will give your child more chances to talk. When a child is looking at a screen, they don’t have to communicate. But when they’re playing and interacting with you, they have many more opportunities to learn and use new words and phrases.
2 Play together often
Similar to the point above, we want to emphasize just how vital playing is for young children. Did you know that play helps teach children how to communicate? Play "tasks," like rolling a ball back and forth, or building a tower and watching your friend’s reaction when it falls, involve two people. One person does something, and the other responds. Just like in communication! This is one reason why it’s so important for kids to have plenty of playtime
Did you know there are even stages of play development? Helping your child through these stages can set them up for doing more complex tasks and interacting with other kids as they get older.
3 Read books with your toddler
If your toddler has a speech delay, reading books together is one of the best things you can do for them. Reading naturally exposes children to more words and sentences, and it helps them understand how stories are formed.
One study revealed that when parents read just one book a day to their child, by the time that child enters kindergarten, they’ve heard a total of 1.4 million more words than children who aren’t read to. How incredible is that?
Find books that your child loves and gets excited about. Children learn best when they’re interested in the book.
Pick a time of day to read together where they’re ready to sit and really listen. For many toddlers, this may be before a nap or at bedtime.
4 Challenge their communication skills, just a little
When helping a child who has a speech delay, it’s important to give them small, slightly challenging tasks to help them start communicating differently. We don’t want to cause them distress, but we want to encourage them to communicate in new ways.
Here’s an example. Say your child is trying to tell you that they want something from the pantry. You know what they want–a banana, their favorite snack! Usually they point to it to tell you what they want. This time, prompt them to say the word. You could say, “Oh, you want the banana! You try it–say ‘banana’!”
If the word is too tough for them, you can prompt them to say the beginning sound: “b.”
Look for chances to help your child communicate just one step above what they’re currently doing.
Or, let’s say your child usually tells you “banana” on their own, and you want them to start using a phrase. You could prompt them to say, “Banana please” or “I want banana.”
Don’t withhold the snack for too long–again, we don’t want your child to become frustrated. Just hearing the language you’re modeling is helpful. Eventually, they should start trying to imitate you.
You know your child best. Look for times throughout the day when you can help them communicate just one step above what they’re currently doing. If your child begins speech therapy, your therapist can share lots of ideas for when and how to do this.
How do you know if your 2-year-old needs speech therapy?
There are many things you can do to help your child at home. But if you think your toddler might have a speech delay, it’s best to find a speech therapist for an evaluation.
Talk with a speech therapist if your 2-year-old has any of the speech delay signs in this article, or if you simply have a gut feeling that they might need help. Speech therapists are trained to identify early signs of speech delay that may not be as apparent to others. There is no reason to wait!
Looking for a speech therapist?
Teletherapy makes it easy. We serve families with a range of communication needs across the U.S. Learn how we can help in a free consult call.
Free consultationHow is speech delay treated in toddlers?
Speech therapy for toddlers typically starts off with an evaluation. Your speech therapist will perform testing to assess your child’s speech, language, and communication abilities.
The results of the evaluation determine how often your child will need speech therapy and what some of their initial goals will be. Most children go to speech therapy once or twice a week.
Speech therapy goals are tailored to fit each child’s individual needs.Your toddler’s initial goals will help them take small steps toward even bigger goals. Let’s say your child is only using two-word phrases once in awhile. Speech therapy will probably focus on increasing how often they can say two-word phrases. Over time, therapy will focus on three- and four-word sentences.
Sessions for speech delay are play-based and designed to be fun! Kids often don’t realize just how hard they’re working because of the toys, games, and other activities used in therapy.
Take a peek inside a toddler’s speech therapy session! This short video features one of our speech therapists, Christi, working with 2-year-old Kingston. He’s learning to use more words through singing a song (and he’s having a blast).
You’ll notice that Kingston’s mom is there with him. Parent involvement is key when it comes to speech therapy for toddlers. Parents and caregivers should attend sessions so they can learn strategies to promote language skills with their child. The more you practice at home between sessions, the faster your child will make progress!
We’re here to answer your questions
If you suspect that your 2-year-old has a speech delay, talk with a speech therapist as soon as possible. You can start by scheduling a free consult call with one of our specialists. It’s quick and easy, and it’s a chance to ask your questions and learn more about speech therapy for your toddler. If you decide you’d like to set up an evaluation, you can do that during the consult call. Reach out to us today!
