Communication Milestones: 19 to 24 Months
Curious what communication milestones your little one should be reaching? While each child develops differently and at their own pace, be on the look out for these skills. If you have a concern regarding your child’s communication development, contact us today for a free screening and consultation in the home.
Use and understand at least 50 different words for food, toys, animals, and body parts. Speech may not always be clear—like du for “shoe” or dah for “dog.”
Put two or more words together—like more milk or go swing.
Follow two-step directions—like “Get the shoe, and put it in your closet.”
Use words like me, mine, and you.
Use words to ask for help.
Use possessives, like Daddy’s cup.
How can I support my child?
Talk about sounds around your house.
Play with sounds at bath time. Splash and make bubbles. Pop the bubbles and emphasize the beginning sounds of words.
Talk to your child as you do things and go places. For example, when riding in the stroller, point to and name what you see. Say things like, “I see a bird. The dog says ‘tweet tweet.’ This is a tiny bird. This bird is blue.”
Give your child two-step directions, like “Pick a book and bring it to me.”
Use short words and sentences that your child can repeat. Add to words your child says. For example, if they say cat, you can say, “You're right! That is a cat. The cat says meow.”
Tell stories or read to your child every day. Try to find books with large pictures and a few words on each page. Talk about the pictures on each page or things you see around you.
Have your child point to pictures, body parts, or objects that you name.
Ask your child to name pictures. They may not answer at first. Just name the pictures for them.
Talk to your child in the languages you are most comfortable using. If your family is multilingual, give your child many chances to hear and practice your languages daily. Learning multiple languages will not cause speech or language problems.
Source: ASHA Communication Milestones 2023
