The first time you hear your child’s beautiful little voice talking back to you is a very exciting moment. It is so wonderful to see them interacting with people in a new way and expressing themselves. So, when would you expect this to happen? Around 1 year old is the time when children usually start to use ‘real’ words. They may not pronounce the words correctly, but if they are consistently using the same sounds with the same meaning, that is their first word.
Like all developmental milestones, there is variation in the early stages of learning to talk. However, here is an idea of expected understanding and speaking skills by around 1 year old:
– Understanding: around 10 words, responding to their name, recognize a few familiar people and objects, recognize greetings and gestures, make eye contact.
– Speaking: use sounds, gestures and say a few words, copying different sounds that other people make.
To encourage speaking use short simple sentences that relate to the immediate environment and wait for responses before you jump in and say too much.
At around 18 months old children are expected to say between 6-20 words and by 2 years around 50 single words and starting to put 2 word phrases together.
If you have any concerns about your child and these milestones, it is best that you contact a speech pathologist. Early intervention has been shown to have huge benefits, so act sooner if you have questions. This will help your child to achieve the best outcomes.
Principal Speech Pathologist
