How do I know if my child is a “late talker”?

When should I worry about my child not talking?

When your child is not meeting their developmental milestones, or not yet talking, you may have heard your pediatrician or a fellow parent use the words “late talker.” It is completely normal to be concerned and confused when hearing those words.

Every child meets their milestones at a slightly different time, and it can be difficult to know when you need to act on those concerns. If your child is not yet talking by 15 months, it is best to seek Early Intervention. Early Intervention services with a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) will teach you strategies to help support the development of your child’s receptive and expressive language skills. An SLP can also look for any underlying factors that may contribute to making it difficult for your child to communicate.

What can I do to help my child talk more?

Auditory Bombardment

One of the best evidence-based things you can do at home to support your child’s expressive output is to use a strategy called auditory bombardment. It involves frequent repetition of words and sounds in multiple contexts to help your child build their understanding of words. You can pick one or two words that you’re going to focus on saying as many times as possible, e.g., “Let’s turn it on. It’s on! The light is on. Let’s turn it off. You turned it off. The light is off..” If you feel like a broken record, you’re doing it right.

Environmental Arrangement

Parents often try to anticipate their child’s needs. Instead, try to set up opportunities so that your child will need to request your help. Put toys you know your child loves to play with in a box that is difficult to open or on a shelf they cannot reach. Make sure to do this before they enter the play area. When you see what your child wants, encourage yourself to wait 5 seconds to give them an opportunity to ask for it themselves. If they don’t, you should return to auditory bombardment and continue to say the word yourself! It’s important to honor all of your child’s communicative attempts, even if they aren’t exactly how you would have liked them. It is not about your child’s compliance with an expectation, but is instead about giving them the opportunity to express their needs first!