As with everything in child development, speech comes at its own pace. Some children are saying “mama” or “dada” well before their first birthday. Others haven’t said their first word by age 2! With such a large range, it can be hard to know when to be concerned, especially if you have friends with similarly aged children.
You are always commenting, ‘My Child Isn’t Talking Yet.’ In these words, there is worry and there’s a need for reassurance. In this post, we will be talking about when to be concerned about speech delays.
What’s Speech and Language?
The first thing to understand is that there are two components to talking: speech and language.
Speech is the actual words, including how they are articulated, and language refers to the entire communication system, including verbal, non-verbal, and written communication. For example, if your child wants juice, she may communicate through her speech by saying “juice,” or she may get you her cup and point to the refrigerator. Both are ways of communicating.
Who are the “Late Talkers”?
In looking at late talkers, we are looking at children who understand what you say to them. But they still have limited expressive vocabulary. That’s why it’s important to rule out a hearing problem before you do anything else!
So who is considered a “late” talker? Two milestones to consider are:
-By 18 months your child should be using at least twenty words, including different types of words (nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and social words)
–By 24 months your child should be using more than 100 words and combining words into 2 word original phrases (“doggy run” would be an original phrase, “thank you,” would not)
This is not to say that you should be watching your child like a hawk and recording every word they say, and rushing to the pediatrician if your 18-month-old has only said 17 words instead of 20! So when exactly should you worry?
Why My Child Isn’t Talking Yet?
There seem to be many different recommendations for this. Many of these err on the side of taking a “wait and see” approach. After all, since late talkers have typical development in all other areas, it’s easier for parents to just brush it off. We assume our child will outgrow this delay. Which, in some cases, is exactly what happens. But sometimes something else is going on, and it’s important to determine that sooner rather than later.
There are certain risk factors that would indicate that your child may have difficulties later on if you don’t seek help early on. These risk factors include:
- Limited babbling as a baby
- Limited use of verbs
- Very few consonant sounds
- Few word imitation
- Limited play
- Limited use of gestures
- Difficulty with social skills
- Family history of speech difficulties
- Recurrent or acute ear Infection (Otitis Media)
- Socio-economic Status (SES): Children from low SES families are more at risk for language delays.
My recommendation is to seek support if your child hasn’t reached the above milestones, AND has two or more of the above risk factors.
As always, if you have concerns about your child’s development and would like to set up a free consultation to discuss your concerns, please reach out! I would love to help you determine your child’s individual needs. We are here to support you as you help your child blossom!
If you liked reading My Child Isn’t Talking Yet: When Should I Be Concerned?, you might also like:
Building Your Preschooler’s Vocabulary
3 Activities to Strengthen Your Preschooler’s Visual Discrimination Skills
