Hello hello everyone and welcome back to (reading) another episode of The Speech Parent Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here. This week we are answering the question: “What is Considered a Late Talker?” Which is such a valid question. When you’re concerned about your kid not talking yet and you’re just trying to figure it all out. It can be a lot! That’s why The Speech Parent is here. To provide you, the parent, with the resources, education, and just support that you need when your kid isn’t talking yet. So let’s jump in!
What is Considered a Late Talker?
Okay so over the past few weeks we’ve talked a lot about speech therapy. We’ve looked at what that can look like in different models. And if you have a school aged kid (or you learned in previous posts that 3 and up can get school based services) then do not worry. I will continue to answer questions related to school age kids and IEPs and school based therapy. HOWEVER I also want to talk to my people with littles! Often parents start noticing signs of a delay when their child is a toddler. And they are not seeming to talk as much as others or maybe not talk at all yet.
And let me start by saying I’ve been there! You all that have been around know that I am a speech parent as well as being a speech therapist. My son is now verbal and making progress each day. But I tell you all of this to remind you that
- If your child isn’t talking yet, it’s not your fault. There are lots of possible reasons for this. But you should not blame yourself at all. If you’re here listening to this, then I feel confident that you are an amazing parent. And you love your child very much. So please know that while I am here to give you strategies and support so that you feel empowered to help your child, I really really want you to know that just being their parent is enough. YOU are exactly what they need.
And the second thing that I want to remind you is that
- Your child being a late talker is not a doom and gloom terrible fate type thing. It may mean that they need a little extra support. It may mean that they need a lot of support or even a different method of communicating. And I know, from personal experience, that (the whole different method of communicating thing) can feel very overwhelming and terrifying and devastating as a parent. I believe that *communication* not necessarily verbal speech but communication is the true goal for every child, but I also know that as parent you really really want to hear your child’s voice and have them speak to you. So I am not judging you at all. I’ve been where you’ve been, and I want to give you hope. Late talkers are often still talkers. And usually they need time, but also sometimes lots of support to get there.
So now that I gave you all the reminders and hopefully an encouraging mindset shift, lets actually answer the question – What is Considered a Late Talker?
Two Components to Being Considered a Late Talker
A late talker is a child who has a limited vocabulary for their age but is otherwise developing normally. So there’s kind of 2 components to look at here. The first one is the limited vocabulary for their age. This is looking at expressive vocabulary, so the words they are able to say and use.
The American Speech Language Hearing Association defines late talkers as children who:
Speak fewer than 10 words by 18 to 20 months
Speak fewer than 50 words by 21 to 30 months
Do not produce simple two-word phrases by 24 months
So basically they have not met the milestones for talking for their age. If you want a checklist of all the expected milestones at all the different ages, I’ve got one for you! Go to thespeechparent.com/milestones or check the link in the show notes to download a free checklist of all the milestones.
Now the second component of being considered a late talker is the rest of their development. This part often gets overlooked as doctors or other well meaning people in your life may be like “oh my son didn’t talk until he was 5 and he’s totally fine”
To be considered a late talker, your child should have good understanding of language and they typically have good play skills, motor skills, thinking skills, etc. So they are not speaking much or at all BUT they are otherwise developing normally.
This Can Be Hard for Parents to Know
Now parents are, generally speaking of course, not experts in child development. So I totally understand how parents could not know that their child is behind, especially if they aren’t surrounded by others kids that are typically developing.
This is why, if you’re child is a late talker, I really encourage you to seek out a speech language evaluation. I made a whole episode about whether or not you should get your kid tested, go read it.
But I also encourage you to look up milestones related to gross motor movements like when a baby should be crawling, walking, using stairs, kicking a ball, all that good stuff. If your child is late in this area too, then no problem, just also get a physical therapy or occupational therapy evaluation as well.
If your child is a late talker or delayed in talking then take a deep breath and remember that this is just a bump in the otherwise beautiful, happy road that your child is walking down. It is not the end. Your child still has a great life ahead of them, especially with all of your love and support.
Join the Late Talker Challenge!
If you’re looking for more resources to help your late talker at home, then I’ve got the perfect little 5 day challenge for you! Please head on over to thespeechparent.com/latetalkerchallenge (all one word) so that’s thespeechparent.com/latetalkerchallenge for my free 5 day challenge delivered straight to your email.
You’ll get ONE easy to implement strategy each day to get your late talker talking. As a busy parent myself, I wanted to make this super duper easy so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming or difficult. Just an easy tip with examples so you can simply incorporate it into your busy life. So I’ll put the link to the free 5 day challenge in the show notes or again you can go to thespeechparent.com/latetalkerchallenge
Alright everyone thanks for reading another blog post of The Speech Parent Podcast! I’m so glad you’re here. Don’t forget to join our community Facebook group by going to thespeechparent.com/community as well as sharing this blog post with any of your friends that are worried about their little late talker. I’m proud of you all. You’re doing great. And remember, the best is yet to come!