How Do I Know if My Child Needs Speech Therapy?

As parents, there are so many milestones to keep track of, and it can be difficult to distinguish between what is typical in development and what might be considered delayed. To help with understanding speech and language development, we have summarized speech and language milestones from year one to 4 years old in this article. Milestones either mark the average skills of children at a certain age, or the skills a majority of children have acquired by that age. If your child has not met one of the following milestones, it might be a good idea to contact a local SLP.

1 year old:

• Enjoys imitating sounds, words, or actions

• Understands "no"

• Recognizes their own name and familiar people

• Uses gestures to communicate

• 10-50 words by 18 months

2 years old:

• 50-200 word vocabulary

• Combines 2 word phrases

• Points to pictures in a book and body parts

• Asks and answers simple questions

• Follows one step directions

• Sounds: B, M, P, N, D, W, H

3 years old:

• Says 3+ words together

• Uses plurals, pronouns and prepositions

• Understands basic concepts

• Follows 2 step directions

• Produces final consonants in short words

• Sounds: K, G, NG, F, Y, T

4 years old:

• Forms 4+ word sentences

• Talks about their day

• Asks and answers WH- questions

• Follows more complex directions

• Can understand almost everything they say

• V, L, S, Z, SH, CH, J

The best way to know if your child needs speech therapy is to schedule an evaluation with a qualified speech-language pathologist. During this initial appointment, we will listen to your concerns, observe your child, and perform a standardized assessment to see if speech services are recommended. If you would like to know more, call Homegrown Kids Therapy at 515-216-0091 for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Homegrown Kids Therapy, LLC provides concierge speech and feeding therapy, coming to you in your home or daycare. We service Jewell, Ellsworth, Story City, Ames, Ankeny, and the surrounding areas of North Central Iowa. If you live in Hamilton County, Story County, or Polk County, give us a call or Contact Us to get started.