How to tell whether a child is on track for their age in language skills?

A child’s language development can be assessed by comparing their skills to typical age milestones and observing how they communicate in daily life. Most children progress from single words in the second year to simple sentences by age three and more complex, conversational speech by ages four to five. It is also important to consider how well a child understands language and expresses ideas. While some variation is normal, delays such as limited vocabulary, difficulty combining words, or trouble understanding instructions may indicate the need for evaluation by a speech-language specialist.