What should a nurse consider when discussing language development with parents of toddlers?

• A. Toddlers express themselves with verbs or combination words
• B. Toddlers speak in full paragraphs
• C. Toddlers do not yet have verbal language
• D. Toddlers rely only on gestures

Answer: (A)

Language development in toddlers progresses from using simple words to combining words to express needs and actions. At this stage, children typically move beyond single words and start forming two-word phrases that often include verbs, such as “want more,” “mommy go,” or “eat cookie.” This combination of words reflects the emerging grammar and the functional use of language to communicate, which is what you want to discuss with parents. So, describing that toddlers express themselves with verbs or combination words best captures what families should expect and encourage during this period.

Saying they speak in full paragraphs isn’t accurate for toddlers, who generally have not yet reached that level of sentence complexity. Claiming they do not yet have verbal language ignores the substantial progress most toddlers make toward using words and short phrases. Relying only on gestures underplays the growing verbal communication they are beginning to use and can overlook opportunities to support language development through talking, labeling, and responding to their attempts to speak.