Is it normal for my 2-year-old daughter to not be talking yet? I see other 2 year olds talking, and it concerns me that she doesn’t.As parents, it can be tempting to wonder why our children are not developing the same as others. Just as children have different personalities, they also develop differently. Don’t worry; these types of concerns are normal. As far as developmental milestones go, there are four different categories -- physical, cognitive, social and emotional. Language development would fall into the cognitive category. A 2-year-old can speak anywhere from 3-50 words, but they may understand up to 200. They may be able to respond to simple requests and might repeat familiar and unfamiliar words. This is also a time when they might often be responding with “no.”These are guidelines that were established by pediatricians, and they were not intended to make parents feel like something was wrong with their children if they didn’t exactly fit into these categories. If you feel strongly that there is something wrong, contact your daughter’s pediatrician for further information.You may wonder how to best help your child develop. One simple answer is to spend time with her. And remember, reading to her will help her experience the magic of language.www.parenting.org
