II. Red Flags: Immediate speech therapy evaluation indications
- No babbling by 12 months
- No pointing or gestures by 12 months
- Does not use at least 3 words by 15 months
- Does not say mama, dada or other names by 18 months
- At least some speech not understandable by 24 months
- Does not use at least 25 words by 24 months
- No 2-word spontaneous phrases by 30 months (includes noun-verb phrases)
- Does not use at least 200 words by 36 months
- Does not ask by name for objects by 36 months
- Repeats phrases in response to questions (Echolalia) at 36 months
- Regression of skills at any age
- Loss of language or babbling
- Loss of social skills
III. Screening: Rule of Fours
- Start with child's age in years divided by 4
- The calculation represents the percentage of a child's speech understandable by a stranger
- Age 1 year: Speech is 25% understable
- Age 2 year: Speech is 50% understable
- Age 3 year: Speech is 75% understable
- Age 4 year: Speech is 100% understable