Speech & language development in the first three years

Health psychologist & registered nurse, Dr Deborah Johanson guides us through child speech & language development in the first three years of life.

Child speech and language development is a common area of concern for parents. Between comparisons with other children and worrying advice from well-meaning others, it can seem almost impossible to judge your little one’s communication skills accurately. But what is ‘normal’ when it comes to child speech and language? And how can we help our tiny talkers if we think they are struggling?

Baby talk

Babies communicate with us in many ways. From cooing to crying, babbling to body language, they are surprisingly adept at conveying their emotions, wants, and needs. So skilled are small humans with communication that even new parents quickly learn when their baby feels hungry, uncomfortable, or tired. Yet despite the almost telepathic talking between parents and their young children, language and communication skills remain a common topic of concern. And while worrying is part of the parental package, understanding the basics of speech and language development can help parents in recognising potential difficulties. So, what should parents look for when it comes to speech and language? And why is it so important?

Firm foundations

The first three years of life are recognised as a crucially important time for speech and language development. It is a period in which the brain undergoes incredible growth – paving the way for higher-level learnings later in life. And while most babies and young children make it seem almost effortless, learning speech and language is one of the most cognitively complex tasks we will undertake. “I’m forever surprised when a child is just getting it,” says Megan King, a speech-language therapist, and the founder of Finding Voices in Auckland, “I feel like there should be more children finding it tricky because [speech and language] is so complex. And when you realise what’s going on in their brains... it’s amazing”.

While speech and language are often used interchangeably when discussing the development of our tiniest talkers, it is important to note that these are different concepts. Speech is about speaking. It involves the use of different body parts – such as our mouth, lips, tongue, vocal cords, and lungs – to form sounds that other people can recognise. Speech is also one of the ways we communicate language. Language, on the other hand, is about conveying meaning to others. It includes verbal and non-verbal communication methods such as speaking, writing, symbols, gestures, facial expressions, body language, and sign language.

Because speech and language are separate concepts, a child can have difficulties in one or both areas. But to understand how difficulties might present, it’s helpful to understand how speech and language develop – especially in the first three years of life.

Birth to twelve months

The first year with a new baby is a special time for parents. It’s also a time in which you will learn your baby’s communication skills as they try to interact with you. Babies become interested in what’s happening around them from a very young age. You may notice your baby focusing on your face and listening to your voice as you speak. “With small infants,” says Megan, “we’re wanting to see that they’re starting to look at us and are interested in people and the world around them”. From around two to four months, your baby will become more responsive – cooing, crying, or chuckling, depending on your facial expressions or tone of voice. They will also begin to practise their ‘talking’. “They will start off making single sounds like ‘mamama’,” says Megan, “but as they get closer to that nine to twelve month age, we want to hear what we call ‘jargon babbling’, where they are starting to use lots of different sounds and kind of having this wonderful conversation – but there’s really no proper words”.

Non-verbal communication is also important during this first year of life. “Around that six to nine month mark,” says Megan, “we want to see babies starting to imitate and copy. If you’ve got a little baby, and you pull a face at them, they’ll often try to pull that face back. So, we want to see some imitation starting to happen that’s non-verbal”. Pointing is another key non-verbal communication milestone. It allows your baby to shift the attention of others to objects that they want or find interesting. It also allows for ‘joint attention’ – sharing attention in a moment. “We would also expect to see pointing starting to emerge in the first year,” says Megan, “so we want to see babies pointing to things that they are interested in – and also following our pointing”.

Around the twelve month mark is when most children will say their first word. But, according to Megan, this doesn’t have to be an actual word. “Those first words wouldn’t necessarily be true words,” says Megan, “so it might be that they consistently use ‘baba’ for the bottle. It’s not the word ‘bottle’, but they always use this one sound pattern for a particular item. So, if they’re doing that, we would count that as their first word. And I think that tends to surprise lots of parents”.

Twelve to twenty four months

From twelve to twenty four months, your little one will begin to expand their vocabulary. While it is normal for children to differ in how they use and accumulate words, there are typical speech and language patterns that tend to emerge at this age. “At this stage we’re seeing a big burst of more single words,” says Megan, “we would want to be seeing at least 50 single words in that period happening. Because at that twenty four month mark, children would start to join two words together, and they can’t do that unless they’ve got 50 single words. We would also hope to see lots of different types of words happening – naming words, doing words, and describing words”.

Closer to twenty four months, toddlers begin to use words together – combining two or more words to communicate meaning. This is typically when we start to see short sentences such as ‘more cheese’ or ‘mama gone’. “We would also be expecting their understanding to be at a point where they might understand a single word or two words that carry meaning in a phrase. So, they could probably ‘get their shoes’ or ‘pass me the bottle'”, says Megan.

At this age, toddlers are often better at understanding language than speaking it. And while they might say words that seem to convey an understanding of a situation or subject, it is important to realise that it is often not the case. For example, a toddler might say ‘bye-bye’ as you pick up your car keys, without fully understanding that this means you will be leaving. Appreciating that your toddler is still limited in terms of their understanding, can help with managing your tiny talkers’ big feelings.

Two to three years

Between two to three years of age, toddlers make a considerable leap in their speech and language development – often seeming to come up with a new word every day. Closer to two, children tend to use two-word sentences such as ‘dada gone’. By age three, however, it is usual for toddlers to use three-word sentences, such as ‘me go too’ or ‘please more milk’. “There is a huge burst of language between two and three,” says Megan, “so that is when we start to see a lot more sentences – and more complex sentences. Children start talking about what they’ve been doing and what they might do, so it becomes a lot more descriptive”.

Closer to three, children will also start to use pronouns, such as ‘I’, ‘me’, and ‘you’. They will also begin using plurals like ‘cars’ and past tense words like ‘walked’. While their language skills are growing impressively, it is still normal for toddlers to mix up pronouns or past tenses - saying ‘foots’ instead of ‘feet’ or ‘runned’ instead of ‘ran’. By age three, toddlers will understand the difference between ‘mine’ and ‘yours’, as well as two-part instructions such as ‘pick up your shoes and bring them to me’.

Closer to the age of two, children still understand more than they can say. Around this age, it is typical for people who don’t know your child well to understand around fifty percent of what they are saying. By age three, this increases to around seventy-five percent. As a child moves closer to age three, parents might notice that they become less likely to cry or tantrum when frustrated. This is because your child now has the words to try explaining what has happened or ask for help. “There’s usually a lot more happening by three,” says Megan, “children are starting to talk a lot more, to draw conclusions, and draw on their own experiences of what’s happening. So, they’re just starting to chat a whole lot more. You might see also location words starting to come – like ‘in’ and ‘on’ and a lot more of those describing words like ‘big’ or ‘little’”.

Trust your gut

Raising tiny humans is an incredibly challenging – yet frequently rewarding – experience. And while we may wish that children came with an instruction manual, there are numerous support services available should you become concerned about your child’s development. Megan’s final advice when it comes to child speech and language? Have faith in your own intuition. “If you are concerned,” says Megan, “trust your gut, and don’t wait. Lots of parents are told, ‘don’t worry, just wait, it’ll be okay'... and sometimes waiting will solve things, but sometimes coming in and doing something at that point can make a huge difference. Intrinsically, parents know what to expect from their children, and they know when to be worried”.

Deborah Johanson is a freelance medical and health writer. She holds a PhD and master’s degree in Health Psychology and has a clinical background as a registered nurse. She lives in Auckland with her husband and three children.