How many words should 2 year old be able to speak?

I am inquiring about twins born June 2004, 3 months early. They remained in the hospital (she) for 7 weeks and (he) for 9 weeks. He had subsequent hernia surgery and his left foot turns inward, delaying his walking. Now he walks, but the left foot turns in considerably. She calls him by name; he doesn't address her verbally at all. Both have lots of temper tantrums and are just now learning to eat with a fork.

Answers:
there are always exceptions but generally speaking, girls develop speech more quickly than boys do. also, it's not uncommon for some children to take several years to speak regularly. give him time. he'll probably learn a lot from his sister.

they sound sweet. :)

Other Answers:
It actually depends on the child, I have had friends with two year olds that didnt speak at all much becasue they could actually use their minds to get what the want. If the other sibling is near him alot and they play alot, it will eventually come. One kid will usually do most of the speaking for the both of them for a while at first. dont worry :)

200 words

Have them checked out at the doc. office. But then again, some twins behave like that. One is faster than the other. Some let the dominant one take over. Go to the doc to make sure it's nothing serious.

My niece was premature and her doctor said by time she was 3 years old she would be caught up with other kids her age. She is now caught up(if not ahead) at the age of 5. All children develop at their own speed. My daughter(also a June '04 baby) was not saying anything a month ago and now her vocabulary is outrageous. Especially being premature it will take time to catch up. Say something to their pediatrician but I will bet you anything he/she will tell you not to be concerned at this point.

As a general rule, babies who are born premature are given time to make up for their arrival. Since they were born 3 months early, they are given 3 months leeway. So what most kids do at 12 months, they have until 15.

Also, twins are much different from normal babies. Like has been mentioned, they tend to communicate without words when dealing with their sibling. Do they speak to other people?

If you figure they won't be 2 until June, then if you give them their 3 months extra, that gives them until Sept. to be at the developmental level of a 2 year old. And when you are dealing with children that young, they grow and develop by leaps and bounds in a very short period of time.

All that being said, I think your babies are fine. Your doctor would comment if he or she thought there was an issue. I bet you will be surprised at how much more they talk by this fall.

All children develop in their own time, and there is no set rule. Just read to them and talk to them and they will be just fine.

And if you continue to worry, and their doctor thinks they are behind, getting them into speech therapy at a young age will nip the issue in the bud and in a year you will never know they got off to a slow start.

Preemies sometimes take a little longer to learn things at first. They usually catch up by school age but don't panic. Some twins have their own kind of language that they communicate with each other. You can help by talking to them alot. Some parents forget that their little ones listen to everything they say. If you have nothing to say, read a book. Grab some items like apple, a toy, you know everyday things and talk about them, Example"This is a cookie, Mommy makes them from flour, eggs, sugar...ect ect ect. They may not understand half of what you are saying but by you talking, it makes them want to talk to. Also my daughter talked early because she was always wanting to do things her older brother did. He walked at 13 months. She walked at 9 months. Yikes! If you know someone with an older toddler maybe expose the twins to a child already talking. It shows them that little people talk to.
Them having been in the hospital for a while may have a delay too because there was not that constant bonding like there would have been at home. Give them time, once they start, they will chatter away.
Source(s):
life experience. I have 2.

i learned this in my child devlopment class: development proceeds at an individual rate. it's okay if they're behind, they'll catch up as long as you keep trying. as for the temper tantrums... negitivism is normal for toddlers. it's how learn their independence. "no" is a two year old's favorit word... dont worry, by the time they're 3 that phase will be pretty much over. and they're using utensils now? great! their fine motor skills are developing. and your boy that doesnt speak? try talking to him more. throughout the day just keep talking to him about what's going on. talk, talk, talk and soon he will too!

It depends on the child,all children develop in there own time at there own speed try not to hurry them along to much, that can put them off.

Not sure on the number, but at my son's 2 year old checkup a couple weeks ago, his Dr. asked if he was saying 3 word sentences yet. I would guess that would be normal if they were saying 3 word sentences that their vocabulary should be pretty decent.

I am sure preemie twins are another case. Best thing to do would be to voice the concerns to their pediatrician. Their Dr. knows their medical past and would be able to best judge how they are doing while putting all that into account. I am sure they are just fine.

My twins were also premature (almost two months) born Oct. 2003. Fortunately we didn't have any lasting problems other than asthma. My mother would compare their developement to my neices and nephews. She thought they were "slow". I went to their doctor. He said that all children learned and developed at different rates(even if they are twins). My daughter was talking up a storm first but, my son was running (I think he went from crawling to running and skipped walking ;)) first. They are still learning to feed themselves with a fork.

There are times that I feel left out because they will sit and play for hours without saying a word but always knowing what each other wants to play and what with.

As said above, if the doctor has checked them and doesn't have concerns, I wouldn't worry to much (harder to do than to say, I know). If you still hve concerns yourself, try another doctor to get a second opinion.

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How many words should 2 year old be able to speak?

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