The nurse is interviewing a 3-year-old girl who tells the nurse: "Want go potty. The parents tell the nurse that their daughter often speaks in this type of broken speech. What would be the nurse's appropriate response to this concern?

A. This is considered a developmental delay in the 3-year-old and we should consult a speech therapist: A 3-year-old typically exhibits short, simple sentences; this pattern does not necessarily indicate a developmental delay unless accompanied by other language or cognitive deficits. B. This is a condition known as echolalia and can be corrected if you work with your daughter on language skills: Echolalia involves repeating words or phrases verbatim, often seen in toddlers or in certain developmental disorders, which is different from the child’s use of simplified speech to convey meaning. C. This is a normal, common speech pattern in the 3-year-old and is called telegraphic speech: At around age 3, children commonly use telegraphic speech, consisting of short, essential words that omit smaller connecting words. This pattern is developmentally appropriate as children are building vocabulary and sentence structure. D. This is a condition known as stuttering and it is a normal pattern of speech development in the toddler: Stuttering involves disruptions in the flow of speech, such as repetitions or prolongations, rather than simplified sentence structure. The child’s broken speech in this case is not indicative of stuttering.