Which language milestone is expected for a healthy 24-month-old?

Which language milestone is expected for a healthy 24-month-old?

• A. Counts three objects correctly
• B. Has a 30-50 word vocabulary
• C. States full name
• D. Tells a story

Answer: (B)

By about 24 months, most children are expanding their expressive language rapidly, and a key milestone is a vocabulary of roughly 30 to 50 words, along with beginning to combine two words into simple phrases. This marks a shift from single-word utterances to more meaningful communication, such as naming familiar people and objects and expressing wants or needs with short combinations like "more juice" or "mommy go." This growth in vocabulary and early combinatorial speech is a reliable indicator of language development at this age. The other options reflect skills that typically appear later. Counting small sets is a cognitive skill that develops with formal and informal math exposure and usually isn’t demonstrated as a language milestone at this age. Stating one’s full name and telling a story require more complex language and narrative ability, which generally emerge around preschool years (about ages 4 to 5). So, the 30- to 50-word vocabulary at 24 months best fits the expected language milestone for a healthy toddler.

By about 24 months, most children are expanding their expressive language rapidly, and a key milestone is a vocabulary of roughly 30 to 50 words, along with beginning to combine two words into simple phrases. This marks a shift from single-word utterances to more meaningful communication, such as naming familiar people and objects and expressing wants or needs with short combinations like "more juice" or "mommy go." This growth in vocabulary and early combinatorial speech is a reliable indicator of language development at this age.

The other options reflect skills that typically appear later. Counting small sets is a cognitive skill that develops with formal and informal math exposure and usually isn’t demonstrated as a language milestone at this age. Stating one’s full name and telling a story require more complex language and narrative ability, which generally emerge around preschool years (about ages 4 to 5). So, the 30- to 50-word vocabulary at 24 months best fits the expected language milestone for a healthy toddler.