Certain missed milestones can suggest a possible speech delay in toddlers, especially between 1 and 3 years. These are warning signs, not a diagnosis, and any concern should be discussed with a pediatrician or speech‑language therapist.kidshealth
Red flags before 18 months
- Little or no babbling, cooing, or varied sounds by around 9–12 months, or not using voice to get attention.eccm
- No meaningful single words (like “mama”, “ball”) by about 15–18 months, or not responding to name and simple words (“come”, “no”).healthcare.utah
Red flags around 18–24 months
- Uses very few words (often under about 20–50 words) and gains new words very slowly.healthline
- Does not point, show, or use simple gestures to communicate wants, and struggles to follow simple one‑step directions (“give me the toy”).choc
Red flags by 2 years
- Not combining words into simple two‑word phrases such as “more milk”, “mummy come”, by around 24 months.physioinq
- Hard to understand most of what the child says, even to familiar adults, and mostly relies on crying or pulling rather than words.chop
Red flags by 3 years
- Vocabulary still very limited (often clearly under about 200 words) or rarely uses short sentences (2–3 words together).healthline
- Speech is often unclear to people who know the child well, or the child cannot ask for things by name (“ball”, “water”).chop
When to seek help urgently
- Any loss of previously used words or social skills at any age (regression).pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
- No response to loud sounds or name (possible hearing issue), or no words at all by 18 months, or no phrases by 2 years.nidcd.nih
For your setting, it helps to have a simple referral rule of thumb: “no words by 18 months, no two‑word phrases by 2 years, unclear speech and few sentences by 3 years → suggest hearing check and speech‑language assessment.”healthcare.utah
References:
- https://health.choc.org/how-can-i-tell-if-my-child-has-a-speech-or-language-delay/
- https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2025/06/child-not-talking-yet-when-worry-about-speech-delay
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/not-talk.html
- https://www.healthline.com/health/speech-delay-3-year-old-2
- https://www.footprintseducation.in/blog/speech-delay-in-toddlers/
- https://www.eccm.org/blog/delayed-speech-in-children-when-to-be-concerned
- https://www.physioinq.com.au/blog/7-signs-your-toddler-may-be-experiencing-speech-delay
- https://www.chop.edu/health-resources/age-appropriate-speech-and-language-milestones
- https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10775292/