At 3: what most children do, and when to call

By 3, most children speak in short sentences of their own, ask “why?”, and are understood by strangers most of the time. Many also repeat whole words now and then (“I want, I want juice”), and most of that passes on its own.

Call us if you see:

• Mostly single words or memorized phrases, or vocabulary that has stalled
• Strangers understanding less than three-quarters of what your child says
• Saying “tat” for “cat” or “do” for “go”
• Sound repetitions (“I-I-I-I”), stretched sounds, or visible effort like eye squeezing, even if it started a few weeks ago

We’ll tell you whether to wait or to book an evaluation.