What vocabulary milestone should a child meet by 18 months?

At 18 months, children typically reach a developmental milestone where they can express themselves using approximately 10 or more words. This is an important stage in a child's language development, indicating their ability to communicate basic concepts and needs effectively.

At this age, children are also starting to understand and respond to simple requests and can imitate words they hear from adults and peers, which helps in expanding their vocabulary over time. The ability to say around 10 words lays a foundation for more complex speech and language abilities that will develop as they continue to grow.

As children approach two years of age, the number of words they can use increases significantly; thus, 10 words is a milestone associated specifically with 18 months. This is consistent with pediatric guidelines on language development and can provide caregivers and educators an important reference point when assessing a child's growth in communication skills.