WARNING SIGNS : Speech & language disorders / delay

When to get help

Call your child's doctor or a speech pathologist if your child:

Age:	Warning Signs:	Check Here
12 to 18 months	at 12 months, doesn't use gestures such as waving or shaking her head by 12 months, isn't practicing using at least a couple of consonants (p, b, etc.) by 12 months, isn't somehow communicating to you when she needs help with something at 15 months, doesn't understand and respond to words such as "no" and "bye-bye" by 15 months, can't say at least one to three words by 15 months, doesn't say "mama" or "dada" at 16 months, doesn't point to body parts when asked at 18 months, isn't saying at least 15 words

Age:	Warning Signs:	Check Here
19 to 24 months	by 19 to 20 months, isn't pointing out things of interest, such as a bird or airplane overhead by 20 months, isn't making at least six consonant sounds at 21 months, doesn't respond to simple directions by 21 months, doesn't pretend with her dolls or herself (brushing her hair, feeding her doll, etc.) by 24 months, doesn't imitate actions or words of others by 24 months, can't point to named pictures in a book at 24 months, can't join two words together at 24 months, doesn't know the function of common household objects — toothbrush, telephone, fork, etc.

Age:	Warning Signs:	Check Here
25 to 36 months	at 26 months, uses no two-word simple sentences at 30 months, can't name at least three body parts at 30 months, can't be understood by anyone in her family by 32 months, has difficulty singing fragments of nursery rhymes at 36 months, doesn't ask questions at 36 months, can't be understood by strangers at least half the time by 36 months, is unable to articulate initial consonants (for example, says "all" instead of "ball" by 36 months, is unable to name most common household objects

Age:	Warning Signs:	Check Here
3 to 4 years	at 3, can't speak in short phrases by 3, is unable to understand short instructions at 3, has no interest in interacting with other children at 3, has extreme difficulty separating from a parent by 3 1/2, consistently fails to add final consonant to words (for example, saying "ca" instead of "cat") at 4, still stutters (has true difficulty producing a sound or word) frequently, often accompanied by facial grimacing at 4, isn't almost fully understandable

- credit to: www.babycenter.com