由 home-healthhaven 
If you’ve noticed that your child isn’t talking as much as other kids their age, you might wonder if they have a speech development issue. It’s important to remember that every child is unique, and just because your child doesn’t speak as much as their siblings did at the same age, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem. However, there are some milestones that can help you determine if you might need to consult a professional about your child’s speech development.
### What to Expect for Speech Development in Your Child:
How much your child talks largely depends on their age. Naturally, we don’t expect a one-year-old to have the same speech abilities as a five-year-old, but there’s more to speech development than just counting words.
**0-12 Months:** During this period, your baby will start experimenting with “baby talk.” Their attempts at words might not make much sense as they are just trying out sounds with their mouths and tongues. By around nine months, they might start saying simple words like “mama” or “dada.”
**Two Years (24 months):** By age two, most toddlers can form simple sentences using short words. Some might even try pronouncing longer words. Although they might not get these words exactly right, you’ll often be able to understand them. Typically, leading up to two years, toddlers learn words one at a time and then begin combining simple sentences after they know around 20 to 50 words.
**Three Years:** By three, your toddler should understand more of what you say and regularly use simple sentences. While some kids talk more than others, most can put together three-word sentences, even if they don’t do it often.
### Speech Development Problems to Watch Out For:
It’s common for parents to worry if their child isn’t following the development guide exactly. Children develop at their own pace, but a few signs might suggest you need to seek advice about your child’s speech development:
– If your baby doesn’t make any vocal sounds by 12 months and only uses gestures.
– If your baby doesn’t seem to hear you when you speak or react to loud noises.
– If your child isn’t trying to imitate sounds by 18 months.
– If your toddler doesn’t understand simple requests by 24 months.
You may also want to consult a speech pathologist if, by age two, your child:
– Doesn’t speak on their own and only mimics your sounds and speech.
– Uses very few words or sounds and cannot communicate their needs in other ways.
– Tries to speak but is not understood by you or their caregivers at all.
Almost every parent worries about their child’s development at some stage. While many children are fine and will catch up with their peers, any parent who has concerns about their child’s speech development should feel encouraged to speak with a speech pathologist.