Should I be concerned that my 2-year-old, Kymee, doesn’t say many words and is hard to understand?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/toddler-speech-development/AN01940
Not when she’s this cute
But …
Sometimes it’s so hard to know if Kymee’s speech is “normal” 2 almost 3 year old, or if there really is a problem. I listen to her every day – so I probably understand her more than others do. So, I decided to research it.
Answer
from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
- Speaks at least 50 words Yes, but not necessarily understandable words
- Links two words together, such as “my cup” or “no juice”, Yes
- Speaks clearly enough for parents to understand some of the words Yes – well maybe me more than Nelson, then again Nelson doesn’t always understand what our 15 year old is saying

- Speaks 250 to 500 or more words Not there yet – but somewhere between 50 and 250
- Speaks in three- and four-word sentences Just starting this
- Correctly uses pronouns (I, me, you, mine) Uses all of these, but not correctly
- States first name Sometimes, sometimes when we ask “What is your name?” She answers “Two” and holds up two fingers
- Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand much of the time NO In fact, I can’t understand her most of the time if she’s sitting in the car seat and it isn’t in context