Does my 2-2.5 year old toddler need speech therapy?
Terrible two’s? We like to think of them more as the terrific two’s! You will notice that your little ons is becoming much more verbal and will express his or her preferences more frequently. You and other unfamiliar listeners will hopefully start to understand more and more of what your toddler is saying. If you’re having trouble understanding what your child wants and needs, a speech evaluation could ease your worries. An evaluation would provide you with detailed information regarding your child’s overall speech and language development.
Outlined below are some skills that we would like to see your 2-2.5 year old toddler using and/or demonstrating. You can also reference earlier learned skills in these blog posts: 1-1.5 year old log post as well as the 1.5-2 year old blog post.
Intelligibility increases to about 70%
Your child may omit the end consonant of words (i.e. cu for cup), reduce consonant blends (i.e. sake for snake) and substitute sounds.
Uses up to 200 words consistently
Name 6 objects by use; i.e. what do you do with a fork? - Eat
Beginning to ask basic questions; i.e. Daddy gone?
Regular plurals are emerging
Understands 500 words
Follows 2+ step directions
Listen to a 5-10 minute story
Parallel play dominates (i.e. your child will play next to others but not necessarily with them).
The skills listed above provide an idea of some of the key skills we want children 2-2.5 years of age to demonstrate. It is not an inclusive list. If your child is demonstrating these skills, continue to encourage and promote their development. Check out my other blog posts and start to encourage the skills for toddlers in the 2.5-3 year range. If your child is missing a few of the skills, reach out to a speech therapist for guidance. Berry Speech Academy is currently accepting new clients. We currently offer clinic visits in Upper St. Clair (South Hills of Pittsburgh) and also offer in home evaluations and treatment in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.
