"Your daughter is 2 years old and still is not talking. She may say a few words, but compared with her peers you think she is behind. You remember that her sister was able to put whole sentences together at the same age. You hope that she will catch up, so you postpone seekng professional advice. You think to yourself, 'well some kids are early walkers and some are early talkers, so there is nothing to worry about.'" 

The scenario mentioned above is common among the parents of children who are slow to speak.

Unless the parents observe other areas of "slowness" in physical, cognitive, emotional, or adaptive during early development, parents may hesitate to seek advice. Some parents may make up excuses such as "She will eventually grow out of this" or "That can't happen to my child."

Knowing what is "normal" and what is not normal speech and language development can help you decide whether or not you should be concerned or if your child is meeting the proper milestones for his/her age.  

Below is a list of milestones that your child should be meeting. If you believe your child has a communication disorder or delay, please contact your physician for further evaluation in order to determine if early intervention is appropriate for your child.

 Early Intervention Services are offered from birth to the age of three.  

 0-5 Months:

 Turns head towards sounds

 6-11 Months:

Babbling, tries to repeat sounds 

 12-17 Months:

Answers simple questions

 18-23 Months:

Follows simple commands, says 10 words or some, and combines words  

 2-3 Years:

Says up to 40 words, understands spatial concepts, descriptive words, and uses pronouns and 2-3 word phrases 

 3-4 Years:

Uses more speech sounds, though some may be distorted, groups objects and expresses feelings through words 

 4-5 Years:

Speech is mostly understandable, answers "why" questions describes how to do things 

 5 Years:

Engages in conversation, uses complex sentences, can understand a series of three directions, uses imagination to create stories