The Twenty-Five Words Every Toddler Needs to Know

My son would only say one thing ("what's that?") until his 2nd birthday. Then literally overnight he was saying complete sentences. He even mastered tough words like hippopotamus. It was really weird. Just goes to show you they are absorbing all of the time.

my 192 month old uses about the same amount

Yes, most two year olds will have a fairly substantial vocabulary in at least one language, but even polylingual two year olds will only need one word, "no" which they will use non stop for the next sixteen to eighteen years. (exceptions - "borrowing" money and using your car because unlike their car, it has gas.)

my little sister didn't talk until she was three. we went on an airplane with her for the first time, and she her first words were "I'm thirsty. I want a drink please."

my family was in shock...but i mean, she's really smart. some kids just dont talk until they feel comfortable to. just because they don't say anything, doesn't mean they don't know anything

BULLSHIT.My son never said a word until he was 3.We had him at every specialist under the sun.He babbled rubbish.One day he said I like dinosaurs.He is 17 and has never shut up since.My nephew is autistic and this news article is not written well.

My two year old is learning 2 languages, She knows 21 of these words in both English and Albanian. Bilingual kids will often learn new words a bit slower, but they will know them in 2 or more languages. These things need to be taken in consideration, too.

how comes they forgot the word "please"!

my little girl is one, and the only word she can say is "Einstein"......weird innit?

At three or four years old my little cousin did not speak, or sit still for even a second. Everyone told her mom she was autistic. teachers and 'professionals' wanted her medicated and placed in special learning. Her mother told them to go jump off somewhere because her child is normal!

Today at 11 or 12, not only does she get straight 'A's, but she's the most loving, intuitive little girl I know.

This list has been posted in Canadian family doctors offices for at least 20 years... get with the times!

What the author is saying is that you should be aware that late speech and low vocabulary is a red flag and parents should be proactive. It doesn't necessarily mean your child is autistic or has a learning disability. Yes, some kids are late bloomers and will catch up but with autistic children there are signs other than delayed speech, such as lack of eye contact, no pointing or gesturing, rigidity and much more. I can say this because one of my children is autistic and didn't speak until 3yrs old. We knew there was something different other than lack of speech by the time he was 15 months. He has worked very hard with early intervention and now is very verbal but will always have language and social challenges. Just don't let people tell you "Oh! He's just the youngest so everyone does everything for him" or "He's just a boy and boys are always slower". Not trying to be a fear mongerer but it's better to be safe than sorry and check it out. For those of you who posted stupid messages, you obviously don't have children and you should pray that you never have a child with any disability. Autism doesn't care about race, religion, social class or wealth and it will change your life forever.

Soon they'll all just say TEXT.

My son spoke two words at around eight months. He said "Ah Doh" whatever that means. It was just after eating so I think it meant all gone. So we knew he could speak but didn't until 26 months. Doctors in Van didn't look hopeful and they taught him sign language in day care.
Then one day, day care called me to say he could talk, sing, knew colors, knew the alphabet, (he could find any word you spoke in a newspaper when he was 16 months), he knew left and right, and a host of other things they though were bizarre and wonderful including the make and model of every car or truck going by as they were on their walks.
So not knowing Cat didn't hurt all that much.
He is an 11 year old Mensa member these days and sometimes I remember when he could not speak, sometimes fondly.
Everyone does it their own way. I think the advice to see a professional maybe a hint this is from some psychology journal or the Union of United Psychologists or something.

Every kid its different... my daughter is bilingual... I have never worried about this stuff... some kids they dont talk, just because they dont want to, they same as they dont want to eat their veggies... they have personality and will and they are smarter than you think.
Anyways, my daughter is bilingual and she always surprises me with phrases I didnt know she could say and speaks in Spanish and English and long ago learnt how to put her shoes on her own, any kind of shoes, a jacket with bottom, drink her soap alone with big spoon and she doesnt spill, but she learnt this a long, long time ago... You see, every kid its different...

My two year old daughter has not started talking much. But she is very smart!

Even if a kid DOESN'T do what the "professionals" say he or she should by such and such a time, does NOT mean they have Autism, hearing problems, or dyslexia. I know many kids who just took their sweet time & they don't have any real developmental delays. Tired of them putting fear in parents, unnecessarly!

There is an excellent documentary on the CBC site (I can't remember if it what the Nature of Things or the Fifth Estate) that looked into the possible cause of autism being related to unbalanced bacteria in the stomach and intestines. Basically, there are certain types of bacteria that produce a toxin that affects the brain's ability to function properly. Check it out. VERY interesting...

they forgot "poop"

bull, i know kids that didnt talk a word till 4 yrs old now they are adults and are ok, study just making some people $$$$ by scaring parents, just because kids dont talk it dont mean something wrong with the kid, other factors should be looked on as well

I have a friend who's 4 1/2 y/o probably says all these words and more, but no one can understand him. His parents barely understand him. He barely uses constonants and 95% of what he says to me is a mystery. I don't know how a doctor or his pre-school teacher hasn't brought this up with his parents. They joke about how they need a Peter to english dictionary so anyone else can understand him. I think more important than the number of words would be how important others can understand the words your child does say.