London - Twenty-five words and phrases that every two-year-old should be able to use have been identified by scientists.
The list is designed to detect youngsters who could struggle with words later. Being slow to talk can also be a sign of deeper problems, from deafness to autism.
The 25 ‘must have’ words are drawn from 310 that could be in a toddler’s vocabulary, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference heard.
The average child will know 150 of the words but alarm bells should start ringing if a toddler uses 50 or fewer. The 25 words listed are among the first acquired when learning to speak.
Professor Leslie Rescorla, who designed the test, said many late talkers are just late bloomers, so if a child is developing normally parents should not panic. They should seek help if the child is still struggling by two and a half.
WHAT'S ON THE LIST?
Mommy, Daddy, baby, milk, juice, hello, ball, yes, no, dog, cat, nose, eye, banana, biscuit, car, hot, thank you, bath, shoe, hat, book, all gone, more and bye bye. - Daily Mail