Red Flags
Refer a child for speech and language services if any of the following are true for your child:
Under 18 months:
- does not coo and babble or use one or more words by one year of age
- does not understand a few simple words like "mama" and a few familiar objects like "juice"
- does not engage in turn taking with facial expression or gaze
- does not imitate large motor movements or imitate vocalizations
18 months:
- does not use at least eight-10 words or is not talking at all
- does not wave and/or say "hi" and "bye-bye"
- does not use words to communicate, but continues to rely on gestures, pointing and leading an adult to a desired object
- does not respond to very simple requests, directions and questions such as "No," "Don't," "Come here" or "Do you want more?"
- does not follow several simple verbal directions such as "Give me the ____" or "Show me your nose."
- does not look at you when talking or playing.
- does not follow your pointing or desired object with their gaze.
- does not play in close proximity to other children.
Two years:
- does not put words together to form simple phrases ("more milk")
- does not follow simple directions involving familiar objects such as "Get the ball and put it on the table"
- cannot look at books for at least a few minutes at a time or does not point to pictures of familiar objects in the book as you name them
- is not easily understood at least 50% of the time by adults and peers
Three-years:
- is not using three- and four-word sentences
- cannot answer simple questions such as "Who is that?," "What do you want?," "What is your doll's name?" or "Where is your red truck?"
- does not accurately answer "yes/no" questions
- adults and peers cannot understand 75 percent of what they are saying
- words endings are consistently missing
- does not play with other children
Warning signs:
- never gestures or imitates
- inability to associate name with object
- infrequent vocalizing (or none at all)
- cannot understand speech
- almost never imitates speech
- conjoined words do not appear
In This Section
Contact Speech:
- Phone: 858-966-5838
- Fax: 858-278-6627
- TTY: 858-495-7767
