Parents are often anxious about their child hitting the developmental milestones, mainly regarding language development. It is normal to be inquisitive about 15-month-old children and their expected speech levels, especially if you have a 15-month-old child at home. Although children’s speech development alters, a decline in vocabulary at specific milestones could denote a speech delay. Now, talk about what to expect from your 15-month-old’s speech.

Language Development Milestones- Birth to 15 months

Before you expect certain things from your child at 15 months, there are certain milestones and presentations that your child should demonstrate from 0 to 15 months, which include:

• Birth to 3 Months:
  • Reflexive crying and cooing
  • Recognizing familiar voices
• 4 to 6 Months:
  • Babbling sounds start
  • Responding to sounds with babbling
  • Recognizing their name
  • Laughing and engaging in vocal turn-taking
• 7 to 9 Months:
  • Recognizing basic phrases like “no” and “bye-bye”
  • Pointing and gesturing at objects
  • Understanding basic instructions
• 10 to 15 Months:
  • First words appear (e.g., “mama,” “dada”)
  • Using gestures to express needs
  • Begin to mimic familiar words
  • Increased vocabulary (around 3 to 5)
  • Engaging in interactive plays like peek-a-boo
  • Understanding more words and simple questions

As every child is different, their language development journey will be different as well. Some children may achieve certain milestones earlier than others. While you can use these milestones as a general guide to evaluate your child’s progress, it’s perfectly fine if your child doesn’t meet each one at the specified time.

How Many Words Should a 15-Month-Old Say?

Their terminology will not be broad at this point in your child’s life. You are more likely to notice a significant change for the better in their speech near the two-year mark of their life. Children will have at least five words in their budget, three of which should be new at 15 months of age. Most children, almost 75%  will know how to say “Dada” and “Mama” regarding their parents at this age.

It is also probable that they have at least three other words in their vocabulary. You will often find that these words consist of nouns and are likely to be things they experience daily.

 For Example:

• If you have pets, they might say “Dog” or “Cat.”
• It is also highly likely they will begin to mention specific toys or specific types of food, such as “Cookie.”
• Another extremely popular one amongst children is “No,” especially as they reach their defiant years.

Every child is different.

What words should a 15-month-old child say?

There are many words your child can say at 15 months, but most of them will be single-syllable nouns or verbs that include:

• Milk                            Car
• Juice                          Bike
• Dog                            Ball

If your child has faster development, they will continue using more challenging pieces of language. It could be possible for children to begin using social words, adjectives, and prepositions at 15 months. If he finds a way to communicate his wants and needs at this age, you may ask how I can inspire my 15-month-old to talk.

If your child is between 15 months and 2 years old, you might wonder how many words they should be saying at this stage of development. Here is what to know about the language development of your 2-year-old toddler

How Can I Inspire My 15-Month-Old Child to Speak?

Inspiring your kid to talk at 15 months will be an absolute experience. The parent should make sure they are working on building up their child’s vocabulary. You will want to use adult language to reinforce words and phrases and avoid baby talk. If you wish to know how many words my 15-month-old says, encourage him to talk by doing the following tips:

1- Ask Questions

Asking questions is the best way to encourage the child and the communication ability also expands. If you want your child’s brain to work well, it will help to ask questions throughout the day. You can ask them how their day went, if they liked playing with their friends, or to explain their favorite things. When reading, it can also be great to participate with your child by asking them questions about the book’s pictures.

2- Discover Interesting Topics

Finding interesting topics to engage the children is one of the best ways to inspire your child to talk about things they want. If they have a favorite TV show, you can discuss the characters in the cartoon to join them in talking. By now, your child should clearly understand what they do and do not like, making the conversation more comfortable.

3- Reinforce Words

The more you reinforce your child’s speech, the easier it will be for them to catch grammar, as mentioned. You will want to pay close attention to what they say throughout the day and help them sound better. For example, if they say “ball,” you can strengthen their words by saying, “Yes, your small yellow ball.”With this process, they will begin learning to connect adjectives with nouns to describe specific items.

Marks of Talking Delay

It can be demanding to determine whether a child is a late talker or is dealing with significant talking delays. It is inconceivable and tricky without seasoned professional assistance, so consult their doctor. There are a few signs of a talking delay to look out for delays in 15-month-old speech.

1- Minimal Babbling and Sounds

If you have noticed that your child has not made significant strides in vocal abilities, this could be a talking delay. This issue often presents itself in the absence of very minimal babbling and the inability to connect verbally. Children are likelier to be just as quiet as they were when they were children.

2- Limited Consonant Sounds

In the previous point, 15-month-olds with talking delays will have a limited number of consonant sounds that they used to use to talk. They could not use letters such as m, b, p, d, y, n, k, and several other types of words. Limited consonant sound use results in awkward talking and often manifests as a motor speech or phonological disorder.

3- Inability to Mimic Speech

As you grow your child, you must use adult language rather than baby talk. This is because your child will learn how to act like certain words and sounds that you say. Children who cannot mimic or imitate talking at 15 months could have a talking delay.

4- Shortage of Social Skills

The average child loves to play and interact with their peers. A shortage of social skills is a significant sign of an outside issue, primarily if your child cannot communicate with others. They might not associate with children their age and show a significant disinterest in playing.

5- Few Nouns and Verbs

If your child has a speech delay, focusing on the nouns and verbs they use is another easy way to determine. As noticed, children should have at least three nouns at their incline by 15 months. If not, it could be a sign that you need to seek professional assistance, such as from a speech-language physician.

6- Family History

As with any other medical disorder, family history is a supreme thing to consider. Your children’s risk is high, If you have family members who have had a talking delay or academic troubles. Your family doctor will often ask about your communication delay history to help commit you to a specialist.

How to Assist Your Child in Learning to Talk?

If you are interested in a few easy schemes to help your child at home, these are 5 tips.

1- Classic Language for Your Child

One of the simplest and most effective things you can do for your child is model or demonstrate language. That is easy. Talk to them often, even if they do not respond to you. Kids learn mostly from the people they spend almost all their time with. By remembering and listening, your child can learn words, their meaning, and how to pronounce them without adornment. 

2- Prompt Your Child to Repeat You

Imitation abilities are essential for a child’s speech and language development. If your child isn’t yet mimicking any sounds, practice animal sounds, or the sounds of trains and cars. They tend to be fun and motivating for toddlers to copy. Once your child imitates these sounds, you can move on to speech sounds such as vowels and consonants–think simple babbles like “ma-ma.” As your child improves in this area, you can move on to simple word imitation.

3-  Entertain Your Toddler Every Day

Another simple tip to help with speech is to play with your child daily. Did you know that play supports communication skills? The more you play together, the more chances your child has to deal with you about what is happening and what they are enjoying. Play may not feel foremost to us adults, but how little ones gain and grow. So, make time to get down on the floor and associate with your little one. You will be growing their language skills and having a blast together.

4-  Professional Guidance 

Language evaluation is an essential process for children under the age of 18. Seek advice from a doctor or a speech-language pathologist, when you are worried about your child’s language development. Early interposition can address potential issues and provide additional support. After gaining advice and tips from your physician, you can easily reduce your worry about language development.

5- Use Facial Expressions & Read Aloud 

Reading books together can increase vocabulary and language skills. Choose colorful and multiple books to capture your child’s interest. Combining words with gestures and facial expressions helps convey the words’ meaning. This helps your child gain and understand, and communication improves. These expressions should assist your child in learning to talk. 

Activities of 15-month-old Child

You can do plenty of things together that make for quality bonding time and help with their development. Let the 15-month-old highlight lead the way as you decide how to keep your child busy. A child at the age of 15- months -old can do Fun activities, games, and toys for a 15-month-old include:

Play Ball: This is a perfect age for going round and round and bouncing a ball together.

Color with Crayons: Half of all 15-month-olds can scrawl with a crayon. Give yours a few colors to help them channel their inner Picasso. They may even start to draw distinct lines.

Storytime: Your toddler is probably learning to turn the pages in their favorite books and point to the pictures when you ask them to identify objects.

Pose Play: It’s time to break out those cars, trucks, dolls, and play kitchen. Children love imitating what you do all day. What’s more, pretend play helps foster language skills.

How Can You Be Aware if Your Child Needs Professional Help?

The speech therapist can govern and assess your child, even if they reap beneficial rewards from speech therapy. Speech-language pathologists often starve a child who can say 10 words by 15 months. When your baby is 15 months old and not gaining the skills discussed here, communicate with a speech therapist. There is no commitment to begin speech therapy if you have a ranking. You can meet the speech therapist, hear their feedback, ask questions, and decide on the next steps. The speech therapist will give you a formal recommendation. 

So, if a child has a  language or speech delay, the earlier they receive intervention, the shorter they can start making progress. Language development improves step by step, much like a stairwell. You have to take each skill individually to make it to the top. A child needs to develop the skills that are next in line for them to be able to meet the skills that appear after. That is why it is not always a good point to “wait and see” when it comes to speech therapy.

Final Thoughts 

The speech and language understanding milestones expected at different ages are foremost. It is necessary to remember that each child is distinctive, and developmental highlights can differ from child to child. Some children may develop language skills earlier and some later than others. However, they should gradually increase the number of words they can say as their age increases. Children generally begin talking by saying the names of people and other items. You will see them begin using those words in different ways.  When you are Paying attention to your child’s progress and finding professional guidance if needed can provide for their overall well-being and communication abilities.