To help you understand whether there's a problem with your child's language development, here are simple guidelines for what children should be able to say at different ages:

• A baby of about 18 months should be generally animated, using lots of sounds and simple words.



• A two year old should use at least two words in a sentence, such as "car go" or "mommy purse."



• A three year old should use three to five words in a well-formed sentence.



• A four year old will use adult-like language most of the time.



• And the average five year old should be able to tell a simple story.

If your child is behind in any of these stages, you may want to discuss this with your child's doctor or call the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists at 1-800-259-8519.