Want to know a 🔑 indicator of language development in toddlers??
Their 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭!
As a Speech Therapist who has helped hundreds of toddlers start communicating, I often first ask parents how many words their toddler is using.
💡This is because a toddler’s 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 (aka words they’re saying) develops early on and at a rapid pace! It’s also a pretty definitive indicator of whether a toddler’s language is developing on track.
AGE | MILESTONE | "AVERAGE" | ABOVE |
12 months | 1 word | 5+ words | 14+ words |
18 months | 10 words | 50+ words | 180+ words |
24 months | 50 words | 300+ words | 440+ words |
36 months | 250 words | 1000+ words | N/A |
But, most of the info out there about how many words a toddler “should” have is pretty ambiguous 🤪 So let me clear it up for you! ⬇️
💛“Milestone” refers to the skill that 𝟗𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 achieve by a certain age.
💛The “average” is what 𝟓𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 achieve by a certain age
💛The “above the expected range” is what about 𝟐𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 achieve by that age.
If a toddler is using anywhere 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 “𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞” 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, that is considered on track for that age. 💯
Remember, “words used” refers to a child’s 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 vocabulary. Sign language, animal noises and word approximations all count as words! As long as they’re being used 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 (not repeating someone), 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 and 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲!
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