When an 18-month-old says only a couple of words, parents usually start counting: how many words they have now, how many there "should" be. The specialists at the Neuron center suggest looking at the bigger picture. The number of words matters, but speech grows out of communication. And communication can be noticed long before the first phrases.
Not just "talking or not talking"
The main question is not how many words your child knows, but how they communicate: how they ask for things, how they refuse, how they show you something interesting and how they understand what adults say to them. A child may know few words but communicate actively with gestures and eye gaze. Or a child may know words but hardly ever use them to reach out to another person.
What to observe between 1 and 2 years
- does your child respond to their name;
- do they come to an adult when they need something;
- do they look at the adult while communicating, and shift their gaze from an interesting object to the adult;
- do they use pointing, and show the adult interesting objects and events;
- can they ask for something and refuse: with a gesture, a sound, a head movement or a word;
- are sound imitations appearing, like "beep-beep", "meow", "bang", "yum";
- do they understand simple requests: "give me", "bring it", "come here";
- do they recognize familiar people and objects, do they copy an adult's movements;
- do they play simple games with an adult and use toys as intended: roll a car, feed a doll, say "hello" into a toy phone;
- do they notice other children, watch them, copy what they do.
This list is not a test and not a way to make a diagnosis. It is a guide to what to pay attention to, so you can calmly discuss your observations with a specialist later.
Gesture, gaze and words work together
A parent once asked one of the center's specialists: should I teach my child to point if they already make eye contact? The answer: every form of communication is already a step forward, but on their own they often don't get the message across. If a child only looks, the adult may not understand what they want. If they only point but don't seek the adult's attention, the request may go unnoticed. The clearest combination is gesture, gaze and a word (or a picture card, if there are no words yet). At the center, communication is compared to a bridge: the more supports it has, the stronger it is.
At the same time, eye contact is never forced. For some children, looking directly into someone's eyes causes sensory overload. Even a glance toward the adult's face already counts as orienting to a communication partner.
When to see a specialist
The center's speech therapist puts it simply: the earlier, the better. If a child does not use speech to communicate by age 3, that is the first sign a consultation is needed. If the later-developing sounds still aren't there by age 4, that is also a reason to come in. But you don't have to wait until three or four. Parents often come when the child is already 4–5 and the difficulties have become obvious, even though they could have been noticed earlier.
You can come even without obvious problems
For the youngest children, the center runs a "Mom and Baby" course. It is suitable not only for children who already have difficulties, but also for preventing speech difficulties and supporting early development. A speech therapist for toddlers, as the center puts it, is not about "fixing" things, but about playing, helping and supporting.
If the list above has raised questions for you, book an initial consultation. The specialists will see which skills your child already has and suggest what to do next.
Sources
- Checklist for 1–2 years: response to name, gesture, gaze, requesting, refusing, sound imitations, play
- Should you teach pointing if there is eye contact: forms of communication
- When to see a speech therapist: "the earlier, the better", milestones at 3 and 4 years
- "Mom and Baby" course: don't wait until 4–5, also suitable for prevention
- Speech therapist for toddlers: playing, helping, supporting, not "fixing"