Ask a Pediatrician: My Toddler Isn't Hitting His Speech Milestones—What Should I Do?

“My toddler is babbling consistently but still isn't hitting his speech milestones per the AAP. According to them, he should be asking questions and putting two-word sentences together alraedy! Should I be worried? What should I do?” – Rachel, New Mexico

Along with learning to walk, hearing your child say meaningful words is one of the greatest thrills of parenting little ones. They progress from making sounds to babbling to using words with meaning to speaking in sentences is thrilling and gratifying. It’s one of the topics we talk about with our friends and family, and it’s tempting to “compare” what other children of similar age are doing. I know it’s easier said than done but try not to do this! If you’re reading this and have a child who is starting to make sounds, then you know that not all kids reach a designated milestone on the exact date that the developmental textbooks say they should. There’s a range of normal, not a single data point of normal. So, keep that in mind with speech and language along with everything else. Know that one in five children who are developing typically learn to use words later than their peers. And their speech and language end up just fine.

But what if you’re really starting to feel like your child’s speech is delayed—what then? Let’s walk through some practical steps to navigate this.

First, think beyond just speech and language. Are there other signs that your child may be developing differently? Things like—not making eye contact, recoiling from cuddling or physical touch, not returning a happy smile—can be signals of more global delay, and should be brought to your pediatrician’s attention right away, as early diagnosis of and intervention for are critical in ensuring the best outcome possible.

Physical health should also be considered, as hearing impairment—due to frequent ear infections/fluid accumulation or other reasons can impact speech development significantly. Your pediatrician can assist you with sorting all of this out.

If all of that returns no obvious reason for the delay and it is mild, there are some ways to help speed up speech and language development:

1. Talk to your child! Tell them every single thing you are doing, as you are doing it. It may be mundane to you, but to them it’s a learning opportunity. Live your life out loud. Demonstrate and name things, and encourage your child to say what you say back to you.
2. Read more books out loud to your child. Every chance you get.
3. Consider the amount of electronic device use, if any, and limit/eliminate it, replacing it with more talk time.
4. Is your child a social kid? Consider trying play time with peers who are speaking more- your child may accelerate some speech skills simply out of desire to communicate during play.
5. Talk with your pediatrician about whether or not an evaluation by a certified pediatric speech/language pathologist would be helpful and give you some insight and other strategies to help boost your child’s speech and language.

Mostly, don’t go it alone—there are lots of resources to help so you aren’t starting at square one. Start out by talking to your pediatrician, and keep them in the loop as you proceed. The vast majority of kids who are slightly behind in developing speech and language catch up quite quickly, and before you know it, they’re talking so much you won’t be able to get a word in edgewise.