When Should I Get My Toddler's Speech Assessed?

Parents usually ask this question after they have been wondering for a while.

Their child is not saying much. Or they are saying words, but not putting them together. Or they seem to understand everything, but get upset when they cannot explain what they want.

Sometimes daycare brings it up. Sometimes a grandparent makes a comment. Sometimes no one else is worried, but the parent is. That is enough of a reason to ask.

An assessment does not mean your child needs therapy. It means we take a proper look at how your child is communicating and decide whether anything needs support.

Signs it may be worth checking

It may be worth speaking with a speech-language pathologist if:

• by 18 months, your child is not using words or gestures like pointing, showing, reaching, or waving
• by 2 years, your child is using fewer than about 50 words or is not putting two words together, like "more milk" or "go outside"
• between 2½ and 3 years, your child is hard to understand, even for people who know them well
• around 3 years and older, your child has ongoing difficulty answering simple questions, following familiar directions, taking turns, or explaining what they want
• your child gets frustrated because they cannot communicate clearly
• a daycare educator, teacher, doctor, or family member has raised a concern

None of these points means you should panic. They are signs that it would be useful to get a clearer picture.

About waiting

Some children are late to talk and do catch up.

The hard part is knowing which children need more time and which children need support. That is not always obvious from the outside.

We would rather check early and find out there is no major concern than have a family spend months worrying and guessing. If your child is 2 and not using many words, or 3 and very hard to understand, waiting without a plan is not helpful. At that point, an assessment gives you better information to work with.

What the assessment is like

With toddlers and preschoolers, most of the assessment happens through play. We might use toys, books, pictures, and simple activities. We are watching how your child understands language, uses words and gestures, makes sounds, interacts, asks for help, and handles moments when communication is hard.

We also ask what you see at home. That matters. Children do not always communicate the same way at daycare, at home, with siblings, or with grandparents.

At the end, you should know what is going well, what may need support, and what we recommend next.

You do not need a doctor's referral to book a private speech and language assessment. Afterward, families receive clear recommendations and a written report. Most extended health plans cover speech-language pathology.

What if my child is bilingual?

Speaking more than one language does not cause a speech or language delay.

Some bilingual children mix languages or use one language more than another. That can be normal. What matters is whether your child is building communication skills across the languages they hear and use.

If your family speaks more than one language at home, that is not the cause of a delay. Alexis assesses in English but takes your child's full language environment into account.

Bottom line

You do not need to know whether there is a delay before booking an assessment. That is the point of the assessment.

If your toddler is not using many words, is hard to understand, or is getting frustrated because they cannot communicate, it is reasonable to check.

If you are unsure, it is okay to ask. A good assessment should leave you with more clarity, not more worry.

At East End Speech Therapy, we provide speech and language assessments for children in Birch Cliff, the Beaches, the Upper Beaches, and East Toronto.