“Should I be concerned that my almost 2 year old doesn't say many words?”

No, not yet, but if by middle two he still isn’t speaking many words, then an evaluation by a certified speech pathologist would warranted. In the meantime, read to him daily and say common words to him that he would use when he might point to something that he wants.

Yes

Most children say their first word around 12 months old, and by 18 months most children should be able to say between 50 and 250 words. A speech-language pathologist can help you teach your child more words.

Dr. Katherine McKernan, SLPD, CCC-SLP

I would recommend getting evaluated by a speech-language pathologist to see if speech therapy is warranted. Typically, kids that are close to 2-years old are producing more single words and putting two words together.

Yes, you should be concerned. He should able to put two-word sentences and have about 500 words. Make sure no hearing problems, check with his pediatrician.

Yes, express your concerns to the pediatrician and get a referral for a speech and Language evaluation. Make good use of this age range, 2-3, where most language acquisition happens.

Every toddler is different. Some are late talkers. In general, I expect to hear a 2 year old using approximately 50 words regularly and even beginning to link together words such as "my cup" or "all gone". 50% of what they say should be understood by the parents and I expect them to use pronouns such as me and you or she and he, even if they sometimes get them a little mixed up. I also expect them to identify body parts, being able to point to head, shoulders, knees and toes.

I encourage you to treat every moment like a conversation exchange, a teachable communicable moment. Have fun with words! Play with letter blocks, sing songs, celebrate any attempt they give you at purposeful communication even if the word is pronounced differently. They should be encouraged to be excited to speak. You can always take them into an early intervention center and have an ASHA certified speech language pathologist do an evaluation or checklist if you are concerned about a language delay. I cannot diagnose without conducting an evaluation. Hope this helps.

Hi,

Typically, a 2-year-old should have about 50 vocabulary words and combining 2 word phrases. I would contact a local speech language pathologist for an evaluation or contact your local early intervention program.

Ali Matisse, MS CCC-SLP