Everyone talks about speech and language milestones for 12 months, 18 months, and even 15 months. But what about the common question, “Why is my 16-month-old not talking?”

I know when you’re searching online you want to find concrete answers about 16-month-old speech and language milestones, and to know if you should be concerned if you’re thinking, “my 16-month-old is not talking.” 

In this post, I will go in-depth about developmental milestones just for 16-month-olds, help you identify when it may be time to seek support, and share some speech therapy activities for 16-month-olds with you. 

16-Month-Old Speech And Language Milestones: 

Expressive Language (non-verbal communication and talking skills):

Speech therapists look for 16-month-old toddlers to express their wants and needs by:

• Saying 15 words or more on their own

• Showing their parents by pointing or taking them to what they want

• Copying words they hear other people say some of the time

Receptive Language (understanding skills):

When thinking about a 16-month-olds understanding abilities, it’s important to look for them to:

• Give their attention when someone calls their name (most of the time)

• Understand the meaning of “No!” particularly in safety situations

• Follow some directions at home that they’ve practiced many times

• To learn the meaning of new words quickly 

Speech Sounds (pronunciation):

At 16 months, toddlers are still working to grow their pronunciation skills. In general pronunciation skills improve as toddlers begin to say more words; that’s because they are getting more practice when their vocabulary is larger. For this reason, speech therapy will focus more on expanding a toddler’s vocabulary at this age, rather than on learning to pronounce sounds clearly. The focus may shift towards pronunciation once children are in preschool. 

Nonetheless, your 16-month-old should be making many different sounds, even if they don’t sound perfect. Here’s a list of some sounds to listen for in 16-month-olds:

• “M” as in Mama, me, and more

• “P” as in Papa, pee, and poop

• “B” as in baby, beep, and bye-bye

• “N” as in Nana and no

• “H” as in hi

• And vowel sounds like: Ah, A, E, Oh, and Oo

Our Free Toddler Talk Assessment offers even more milestone information and will give you a detailed summary of how your toddler is doing in their milestones compared to other children their same age. 

Create a free account and take your assessment here. 

My 16-month-old is not talking.

Do they need speech therapy?

If your 16-month-old isn’t talking I do recommend talking to your child’s pediatrician about a speech and language evaluation. 

There are a few key reasons why I recommend taking action now instead of waiting. 

1. It will take a few weeks to a few months to have your evaluation - It can take weeks to months to get started in speech therapy because you have to wait for insurance approval and also wait for an evaluation appointment time to become available.

   If it takes about 2 months to have the speech and language evaluation you scheduled when your little one was 16 months old, they will be 18 months old at the time of the appointment. You’ll be so relieved that you have the appointment scheduled if your concerns about your toddler’s talking continue.

   Alternatively, if your toddler has a huge language burst and they are saying tons of words you can cancel your appointment (be sure to check the cancellation policies to cancel in advance and avoid fees). Even if you don’t end up going I always recommend the “be safe rather than sorry” approach to speech and language evaluations.

2. Supporting toddlers when the gap is small is easier than waiting when the gap grows larger - I am a huge proponent of preventive care; better to support a toddler early on so they reach their milestones and don’t need speech therapy (or as much speech therapy as they would if you waited). In my opinion, it’s best (and easiest) to support toddlers from an early age because in general the longer you wait the more work it takes to catch up.

3. Speech therapy is available for free or at a low cost through State’s Early Intervention Programs - It hurts me to think about families paying hundreds to thousands of dollars for speech therapy when every state offers speech therapy to toddlers through their Early Intervention Programs at little to no cost to families. Be sure to check out this amazing resource! To find a program in your area, follow this link to the CDC website. 

Continued Reading: What to expect in a speech and language evaluation for toddlers

Now that you have an idea of what speech therapists are looking for from 16-month-old toddlers not talking and why I recommend talking to your pediatrician about a speech and language skills evaluation sooner rather than later, let’s talk about what you can do at home to support your little one. 

Here are some 16-month-old speech and language activities for toddlers who haven’t started talking yet:

1. Focused Stimulation Speech Therapy Strategy - Focused stimulation is one of the best speech therapy strategies for helping toddlers understand and say new words. It requires that we (adults) say the real names of things many times over when talking with toddlers. It’s a personal favorite strategy because you can use focused stimulation in any activity! 

Go to the lesson and see how to use focused stimulation with your toddler. 

2. Teaching Toddlers to Copy Words - Toddlers learn to talk through imitation, or by copying sounds and words they hear us say as practice before they say them on their own. I’ve created a whole post all about helping your toddler learn to copy words they hear you say. 

Go to the lesson and get started practicing with imitation

3. Saying Their First Words - If your toddler is already repeating you but they haven’t said their first word yet, then this is the perfect lesson for you. Get speech therapy tips and activities for encouraging your 16-month-old to say their first word. 

Go to the lesson to see activities for encouraging first words

To get a customized list of speech and language development activities for your 16-month-old, complete our Free Toddler Talk Assessment to get your custom at-home activity plan! 

Here are some other common questions asked by parents of 16 month olds:

Written By: Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP

© 2020-2023. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.

The content offered on ToddlerTalk.com is for informational purposes only. Toddler Talk is not engaged in rendering professional advice, whether medical or otherwise, to individual users or their children or families. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor, speech language pathologist, or other health professional. By accessing the content on ToddlerTalk.com, you acknowledge and agree that you are accepting the responsibility for your child’s health and well-being. In return for providing you with information related to home speech and language practice, you waive any claims that you or your child may have as a result of utilizing the content on ToddlerTalk.com.