{"h1":"Supporting Your 18-to-24-Month-Old's Communication","faq":[{"a":"Many toddlers move from a few words towards 50 or more words and their first two-word phrases like \"more milk\" between 18 and 24 months, but there is wide normal variation. Understanding words and using gestures matter just as much as speaking. If your child uses very few words by around 24 months or you feel something is different, a gentle developmental check is reassuring.","q":"How many words should my 18-to-24-month-old have?"},{"a":"Screens are no substitute for back-and-forth talk with you, and background TV can drown out the conversations toddlers learn from. At this age, real face-to-face interaction — narrating, pausing and responding — does far more for language than any app. Turning screens off during play and meals lets your voice stand out.","q":"Will too much screen time slow my toddler's talking?"},{"a":"Pointing, waving and reaching are genuine communication and a very good sign your child wants to connect. Respond to each gesture and add the word — \"You want up!\" — to bridge towards speaking. If words are slow to follow over the coming months, a developmental check can offer clarity and early support.","q":"My toddler points and gestures but says few words — is that okay?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How can I support communication development in my 18-to-24-month-old?","entity":{"key":"toddler-18-24","kind":"age_band","name":"18-to-24-month-old","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"age","label":"Toddler-18-24","value":"toddler-18-24"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Communication","value":"communication"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Speech-Therapy","value":"speech-therapy"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"ages","label":"Ages & Stages"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-my-child-s-communication-development-at-home","title":"How can I support my child's communication development at home?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-2-year-old","title":"How can I support communication development in my 2-year-old?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-communication","title":"18–24 Month Communication Development"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-communication","title":"What signs suggest my child may need support with communication?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-9-to-12-month-old","title":"How to Support Communication in a 9-to-12-Month-Old"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-12-to-18-month-old","title":"How can I support communication development in my 12-to-18-month-old?"}],"summary":"Communication in 18-to-24-month-olds grows through rich, responsive everyday talk: follow your child's lead, narrate daily routines, pause to let them take a turn, expand their words, read and sing together, and honour gestures as real communication. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","answer_md":"*Between 18 and 24 months, your toddler is on the brink of a language explosion — and your everyday chatter, songs and play are exactly the fuel that lights it.*\n\n## In short\nYou support communication best by **flooding ordinary moments with rich, responsive talk** — narrating what you do, naming what your child looks at, pausing to let them respond, and treating every gesture, sound or word as a real conversation. At this age children typically move from a handful of words towards 50+ words and their first two-word phrases. You don't need apps or flashcards — your face, voice and attention are the most powerful tools there are.\n\n## Simple things that build language\n- **Follow their lead.** Talk about whatever your child is looking at or reaching for right now. Words attached to interest stick best.\n- **Narrate the day.** \"We're putting on your *shoes*. Red *shoes*! All *done*.\" Hearing words tied to actions builds understanding before speaking.\n- **Pause and wait.** After you speak or ask, count silently to five. That gap gives your toddler the space to take a turn — with a sound, a point or a word.\n- **Expand, don't correct.** If they say \"car\", you say \"Yes, big blue car!\" — gently adding a word rather than fixing.\n- **Read together every day.** Point, name, and let them turn pages and \"fill in\" familiar lines. Repeat the same books — repetition is how toddlers learn.\n- **Sing and use rhymes with actions.** Songs slow speech down and make sounds easy to catch and join in.\n- **Honour gestures.** Pointing, waving and reaching are communication. Respond and add the word: \"You want *up*!\"\n- **Cut background noise.** Turn off the TV during play and meals so your voice stands out and conversations can flow.\n\n## When to seek a check\nA quick developmental check is worthwhile if, by around 18–24 months, your child uses very few or no clear words, doesn't point to show you things, doesn't follow simple instructions, makes little eye contact during play, has lost words or skills they once had, or you simply have a gut feeling something is different. Variation is normal at this age — checking early is reassuring, not alarming, and gives your child the strongest possible head start.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or online form. If you'd like clarity, our clinicians create a gentle, precise [communication and developmental profile](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and, where helpful, shape early support through [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate). You can [explore how we help families](/) across 70+ centres in India.\n\n## Trusted sources\nAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) early language milestones; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidance on toddler communication and early intervention; CDC \"Learn the Signs. Act Early.\" developmental guidance.\n\n**Next step —** Want reassurance about your toddler's talking? [Book a developmental check with a Pinnacle clinician](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"ages","label":"Ages & Stages"}],"meta_title":"Help Your Toddler Talk: 18–24 Months","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Pick one daily routine — like getting dressed — and narrate it out loud, naming objects and actions, then pause and count to five so your toddler has the space to take a turn with a sound, point or word.","published_at":"2026-06-10T11:36:00.209871+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"signs","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-signs-suggest-my-child-may-need-support-with-communication","title":"What signs suggest my child may need support with communication?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-communication","title":"18–24 Month Communication Development","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-signs-of-communication-delay-in-a-18-to-24-month-old","title":"Signs of communication delay in an 18-to-24-month-old","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-communication-milestones-should-a-18-to-24-month-old-reach","title":"What communication milestones should a 18-to-24-month-old reach?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-adaptive","title":"Is My 18-to-24-Month-Old Developing Normally in Adaptive Skills?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-cognitive","title":"Is My 18–24 Month Old Developing Normally in Thinking?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-emotional","title":"Is My 18-to-24-Month-Old Developing Normally in Emotion?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-motor","title":"Motor Development at 18–24 Months","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-sensory","title":"Sensory Development at 18–24 Months: Is It Normal?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-developing-normally-in-social","title":"Is My 18-to-24-Month-Old Developing Normally in Social Skills?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-on-track-developmentally","title":"Is my 18-to-24-month-old on track developmentally?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-adaptive-milestones-should-a-18-to-24-month-old-reach","title":"What adaptive milestones should an 18-to-24-month-old reach?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Recognise signs & concerns","total":25},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-12-to-18-month-old","title":"How can I support communication development in my 12-to-18-month-old?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-2-year-old","title":"How can I support communication development in my 2-year-old?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-communication-development-in-my-9-to-12-month-old","title":"How to Support Communication in a 9-to-12-Month-Old","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-my-child-s-communication-development-at-home","title":"How can I support my child's communication development at home?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-adaptive-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How can I support adaptive development in my 18-to-24-month-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-cognitive-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"Supporting cognitive development at 18–24 months","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-emotional-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How can I support emotional development in my 18-to-24-month-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-motor-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How can I support motor development in my 18-to-24-month-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-sensory-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How can I support sensory development in my 18-to-24-month-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-social-development-in-my-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How can I support social development in my 18-to-24-month-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-much-screen-time-is-safe-for-a-18-to-24-month-old","title":"How much screen time is safe for a 18-to-24-month-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-my-18-to-24-month-old-moving-and-walking-as-expected-for-their-age","title":"18–24 Month Movement & Walking Milestones","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":17}],"what_to_watch":"Watch for very few or no clear words by 18–24 months, not pointing to show you things, not following simple instructions, little eye contact in play, or any loss of words or skills once gained — and trust your instinct if something feels different.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren.org — early language milestones"},{"url":"https://www.asha.org","label":"ASHA — toddler communication & early intervention"},{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov","label":"CDC — Learn the Signs. Act Early."}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T11:36:00.209871+00:00","meta_description":"Simple, warm ways to support communication in your 18-to-24-month-old — narrate, pause, read, sing — and know when a gentle developmental check helps.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}