In 2023, the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) released updated communication milestones for the first 5 years of life. Communication milestones are goals or markers a child is expected to achieve at a certain time or age. These milestones were created so that parents (and clinicians) could have guidelines to measure their children (or caseload) and provide areas that may require encouragement for language development.
Toddler Vocabulary Development
A child’s vocabulary is one of the most important factors in early communication. However, before a child can label vocabulary, they must be exposed to the objects. Language exposure is typically done through playful interactions or sing-song activities.
When it comes to speech therapy for toddlers’ evaluations, clinicians have to look from a developmental perspective. What information can we gain about a toddler’s life experience and their exposure to vocabulary? By asking, “Does your child point to items in a book when you name them?” and the answer is “no,” then we know that we need to dive a little deeper.
Asking more questions brings clarity. Clarity helps us better understand what items or objects toddlers may know; they just might not understand them in multiple contexts [yet!].
