Children learn to say new words when they hear specific words repeated over and over again. The toddler speech therapy strategy of focused stimulation is one of the best tools to teach new words. Learn about how to use focused stimulation here.

7 Common signs that your toddler might need speech therapy:

• Not babbling (saying “mamama” or “dadada”) by 6-9 months

• Not saying any words by 14 months

• Not copying sounds or words they hear you say by 14 months

• Not putting words together by 2 years old

• Not following directions you’ve practiced by 18 months

• Not answering simple questions by 2 years old

• Difficulties playing alongside others

You can continue learning about times when toddlers need speech therapy here, and be sure to always consult with your child’s pediatrician any time you have concerns about your child’s development.

If you’re concerned about your child’s language development the best thing to do is talk to your child’s pediatrician. Their pediatrician can help connect you with speech therapists and other developmental professionals in your community.

Read more about finding a speech therapist here. Plus, you can get a head start by practicing with our free Toddler Talk Program while you wait to get started in speech therapy here.

The quick answer is that the best age to start speech therapy for toddlers is whenever you notice your child may be falling behind. Boosting toddler’s speech and language development early on can have a significant impact because their brains are developing so rapidly. But it’s also never too late to start speech therapy for toddlers because speech therapists have strategies to support children at all ages and stages of development.

If you want to learn even more about when to start speech therapy, check out this Toddler Talk Blog post.

Pediatric speech therapy supports children’s growing expression, understanding, and social communication skills.

Speech therapy with toddlers will include play, practice, and homework activities.

You can learn more about what to expect in speech therapy for toddlers here.

Late talkers are children who have limited vocabulary for their age according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Late talkers say their first word after 14 months and say less words than other children their age. Research shows that 70-80% of late talkers will catch up on their own, but the other 20-30% of children will require speech therapy to meet their milestones.

Learn more about ways to support late talkers in this blog post.

Research shows that watching too much TV is linked to speech delay in toddlers.

One study found that babies who began watching TV before their first birthday and who watched more than 2 hours of TV per day were six times more likely to have language delays (Chonchaiya & Pruksananonda 2008). Another study also found that children who watched more than 2 hours of TV per day were more likely to have low scores on communication tests (Duch et al 2013).

Learn about our best practices for toddler screen time and more about the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines for screen time for young children here.

If your child hasn’t said their first word by 14 months, then it is a good idea to talk to your child’s pediatrician about monitoring their speech and language development more closely and possibly enrolling in speech therapy.

If your 14 month old isn’t talking yet, continue reading in more detail here.