Below is a list of communication milestones, resources and red flags to look for as you determine the best course of action for your 2-year-old child. Most children will acquire new skills following a predictable progression of speech and language development. It’s important to remember that if your child has not mastered a certain skill by the suggested age, or is slightly delayed in a few of the milestone areas, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a speech or language disorder.
Please contact your family doctor for an evaluation, or a speech-language pathologist for a screening, if you are concerned about your child’s communication skills. You can also check with local community associations, universities, health departments and preschools to see if they offer free hearing, speech and language development screenings in your community.
Communication Milestones, Resources and Red Flags – 2-Years-Old
Articulation (Sounds)
- By 2 years of age, a typically developing child should be able to consistently make the following sounds: /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /h/, /d/
- General rule: by 2 years of age, a child should be understood about 50% of the time.
Expressive Language
In addition to a vocabulary of roughly 200-300 words, a typical 2-year-old child:
- He/she uses single or two-word phrases
- Uses 2 to 4 word sentences
- Uses final sounds and two syllable words
- Knows names of familiar people
- Repeats words overheard in conversations
- Says “bye” and other social words, such as “hi,” “thank you,” and “please”
- Asks simple questions, “what dat?” and “where baby?”
Receptive Language
- Points to an object or picture when it’s named
- Follows simple instructions
Social Language/Pragmatic Skills
- Follows simple directions, especially with a gestural cue
- Waves bye-bye
- Indicates wet pants
- Repeats actions that made someone laugh
- Pairs gestures with words to make wants known (e.g., “more” and “up”)
- Imitates adult behaviors in play
- Refers to self by name
- Protests by vocalizing “no”
- Engages in simple pretend play, such as talking on a telephone
Red Flags
Speak with your family doctor if your child displays any of the following signs of a possible language delay or disorder for this age range.
- Does not say at least 20 – 50 words
- No word combinations by age 2
- Does not imitate actions or words by age 2
- He/she does not follow simple instructions by age two
- Does not understand verbal instructions without needing gestures
- Does not seem to understand the function of common objects (fork, spoon, brush, phone) by fifteen months
What Can I Do to Help My Child Develop Language and literacy Skills?
That’s a very common question that we get. Click here to find out what you can do to help your child’s language and literacy development.
Adapted from: LinguiSystems Guide to Communication Milestones
Retrieved from https://www.linguisystems.com/pdf/Milestonesguide.pdf
The information contained on this website should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician or Speech Language Pathologist.
