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Late Talker
A โLate Talkยญerโ is a todยญdler (between 18โ30 months) who has a good underยญstandยญing of lanยญguage, typยญiยญcalยญly develยญopยญing play skills, motor skills, and social skills, but has a limยญitยญed spoยญken vocabยญuยญlary for his or her age. The difยญfiยญculยญty of late-talkยญing kids has specifยญiยญcalยญly with expresยญsive lanยญguage. This group of chilยญdren can be chalยญlengยญing to underยญstand because they have all of the buildยญing blocks for spoยญken lanยญguage, yet they donโt talk or talk very limited. Researchers have yet to agree upon an explaยญnaยญtion for this speยญcifยญic delay. They have deterยญmined that Late Talkยญers are more likeยญly to be:- Males.
- Havยญing a famยญiยญly hisยญtoยญry of earยญly speech delay.
- To have been born at less than 85% of their optiยญmal birth weight or less than 37 weeks gestation.
- Facยญing attenยญtion problems.
Does a kid who Is Late Talker Catch Up On his/her Own?
Because this group of chilยญdren is proยญgressยญing so well in othยญer areas of develยญopยญmenยญtal mileยญstones, parยญents may assume that they will catch up on their own. It is a fact that many late talkยญers do โgrow out of it,โ but many do not. It can be difยญfiยญcult to preยญdict which kids will not catch up to their peers. Howยญevยญer, a list of risk facยญtors has been idenยญtiยญfied, which sugยญgests that a kid is more likeยญly to have conยญtinยญuยญing lanยญguage difยญfiยญculยญties. These include:- A famยญiยญly hisยญtoยญry of speech delay.
- Litยญtle babยญbling (Quite) to His/Her age.
- A hisยญtoยญry of ear infections.
- No or litยญtle imiยญtatยญing to words from surroundings.
- He/She uses mostยญly nouns (names of peoยญple, places) and a few verbs (action words).
- A mild underยญstandยญing ( Social skills ) delay for his or her age.
Causes of Late talking stage
Researchers arenโt comยญpleteยญly cerยญtain why some kids begin speakยญing latยญer than othยญers, but one theยญoยญry is that these kids have a difยญferยญent learnยญing style. It appears that the brains of late talkยญers spend their earยญly years focusยญing on anaยญlytยญiยญcal develยญopยญment instead of verยญbal development. Once this Anaยญlytยญiยญcal Develยญopยญment slows down, verยญbal develยญopยญment has a chance to catch up. Even into adultยญhood, late-talkยญers tend to flourยญish in anaยญlytยญiยญcal fields but at times, fall behind in lanยญguage-focused careers. Besides, brain scans show that a majorยญiยญty of late-talkยญers who are othยญerยญwise neuยญrotypยญiยญcal use the right side of their brain for speech, instead of the more typยญiยญcal left side. Some often-notยญed obserยญvaยญtions of late-talkยญers include that they:- Late potยญty trainers.
- Very good at puzยญzles and are curiยญous about how things are put togethยญer.
- Strong-willed.
- Are more likeยญly to be left-handยญed.
8 Things to do if your kid is a Late Talker:
If you think your child may be a late talkยญer, itโs nevยญer too earยญly to seek help. We know that the earยญliยญer we start to help our kids, the betยญter their outcomes.
And always rememยญber that earยญly interยญvenยญtion in speech disยญorยญders is key to long-term success!
Studยญies state that most late-talkยญers catch up to their peers by age 5 or 6. In parยญticยญuยญlar, late-talkยญers seem to strugยญgle with gramยญmar, spelling, classยญroom disยญcusยญsion, and at times with readยญing comprehension.
By workยญing with late-talkยญers earยญly on, you can improve their lanยญguage skills and long-term lanยญguage-based outcomes.
Pick out books that fulยญly engage your todยญdler. Whether itโs a book about their favourite stuffed aniยญmal, carยญtoon charยญacยญter or just one with colourยญful picยญtures, read to them as often as possible.
Look for age-approยญpriยญate soft, board or picยญture books that encourยญage kids to look while you name the picยญtures. Latยญer, let your child point to recยญogยญnizยญable picยญtures and give him/her a try to name them.
1- Donโt Wait it Out
Some parยญents hear that late-talkยญing can be a stage and decide to take the โwait and seeโ approach. Unforยญtuยญnateยญly, if their kid is one of the 30โ40% facยญing develยญopยญmenยญtal delays, they may miss out on the approยญpriยญate treatยญment durยญing the approยญpriยญate time. If a child isnโt speakยญing at 18 months, parยญents should go to their Famยญiยญly Docยญtor or Pediยญaยญtriยญcian for a hearยญing exam and rule out any physยญiยญcal causยญes. And from here, the child needs to be evalยญuยญatยญed by a speech pathologist.2- The Earlier therapy.. the Better Result!
Studยญies state that most late-talkยญers catch up to their peers by age 5 or 6. In parยญticยญuยญlar, late-talkยญers seem to strugยญgle with gramยญmar, spelling, classยญroom disยญcusยญsion, and at times with readยญing comprehension.
By workยญing with late-talkยญers earยญly on, you can improve their lanยญguage skills and long-term lanยญguage-based outcomes.
3- Be Patient on a confirmed Diagnosis
Let us face that diagยญnosยญing late-talkยญers can be difยญfiยญcult. They are well known for refusยญing to do things that donโt interยญest them. Thereยญfore experts recยญomยญmend regยญuยญlarยญly re-evalยญuยญatยญing to disยญcovยญer the childโs actuยญal ability. Though you need to be patient to have a conยญfirmed diagยญnoยญsis for a late talker. Experts in late-talkยญing agree, though, that itโs worth takยญing the road to diagยญnoยญsis slowยญly; a false diagยญnoยญsis can be worse than no diagnosis.4- Your Time with your Kid is Precious
Your time with a child can be limยญitยญed by many things: famยญiยญly availยญabilยญiยญty, finances, and othยญer perยญsonยญal causes. Parยญents need to remain patient as they work with their todยญdlers on lanยญguage develยญopยญment. You may notice that your kid is busy workยญing on his/her motor skills, and maybe lanยญguage has takยญen a secยญond priยญorยญiยญty. Many times some motor skills are learned quickยญly, while othยญers take a litยญtle more time. Showยญer your late talkยญer with praise and love for litยญtle lanยญguage achieveยญment and keep the learnยญing fun! In the meanยญtime, to proยญmote your kidโs lanยญguage skills, label any sounds he/she uses for words. For examยญple, if he/she says โCaโ for โCar,โ you should say, โYes, thatโs a car.โ Conยญtinยญue to talk and sing to him/her, ask him/her quesยญtions, point out and idenยญtiยญfy the peoยญple and things that fill his/her world, and read togethยญer with tryยญing to slow down and make sure your todยญdler is watchยญing you as you speak.5- Read More Books
Pick out books that fulยญly engage your todยญdler. Whether itโs a book about their favourite stuffed aniยญmal, carยญtoon charยญacยญter or just one with colourยญful picยญtures, read to them as often as possible.
Look for age-approยญpriยญate soft, board or picยญture books that encourยญage kids to look while you name the picยญtures. Latยญer, let your child point to recยญogยญnizยญable picยญtures and give him/her a try to name them.
6- Encouraging Two-way Communication
Encourยญagยญing two-way comยญmuยญniยญcaยญtion is essenยญtial to improve speech delay in todยญdlers. Tell them whatโs hapยญpenยญing as you do someยญthing and wait for their response. Someยญtimes it takes a while for a todยญdler to respond. Give them time to forยญmuยญlate their words and donโt answer them. Ask sibยญlings to not answer for them as well.7- Try Not to Correct your kidโs words
It is imporยญtant to build your toddlerโs speech conยญfiยญdence. When workยญing to improve speech delay, rememยญber not to corยญrect your child. No sound, word or response is wrong. Any Expresยญsion is good progress! If they point to a dog and say โwoo,โ you can encourยญage him/her by sayยญing, โ It is a dog, says woof woof,โ and so on.8- Just talk more
Talk to your todยญdler throughยญout the day. Whether itโs bath time or youโre makยญing them a snack, get their attenยญtion and tell them what youโre doing. For examยญple, while you are shopยญping, name foods at the groยญcery store, explain what youโre doing as you cook a meal or clean a room, point out objects around the house.The Panic Button!
Let the panยญic butยญton away! Thereโs a big chance your child could be a late talkยญer. Todยญdlers who are late talkยญers do not necยญesยญsarยญiยญly have speech delays.
Some kids do have develยญopยญmenยญtal delays when it comes to lanยญguage, and the soonยญer late talkยญers are idenยญtiยญfied and can get help, the betยญter. So start by doing a litยญtle detecยญtive work and always trust your inner instinct.
- Watch how your child responds to what you say.
- Does he/she underยญstand quesยญtions like, โAre you hunยญgry?โ ( Expresยญsive Skills )
- Can he/she folยญlow basic comยญmands like, โPlease bring me the botยญtleโ? ( Comยญmuยญniยญcaยญtion Skills)
- Does he/she comยญmuยญniยญcate nonยญverยญbalยญly (by pointยญing, for examยญple) when he/she wants something?
The folยญlowยญing are Genยญerยญal Develยญopยญmenยญtal Mileยญstones. Keep in mind that they are only guideยญlines.
12 to 18 Months
Around your childโs first birthยญday, todยญdlers have a wide range of speech sounds. Youโll probยญaยญbly be able to recยญogยญnize at least one or two comยญmon words such as โDadยญdaโ or โmama.โ
Over the folยญlowยญing six months, though, you should start to see your child begin to develยญop more advanced comยญmuยญniยญcaยญtion skills such as:
- Look for and be able to find where a sound is coming.
- Respond to their names most of the time when you call it.
- Wave goodยญbye.
- Look where you point when you say, โLook at the โโโ
- Babยญble with intoยญnaยญtion (voice risยญes and falls as if they are speakยญing in sentences).
- Take turns โtalkยญingโ with youโlisten and pay attenยญtion to you when you speak and then resume babยญbling when you stop.
- Point to items they want that are out of reach or make sounds while pointing.
- Tryยญing to copy your words or others.
- Imiยญtatยญing the talk sequences they hear.
18 to 24 Months
On averยญage, though, by the time your kid reachยญes age 2, you can expect to see him/her reach the folยญlowยญing milestones:
- Increasยญingยญly adding words to his/her vocabยญuยญlary.
- Formยญing two-word phrasesโalthough they wonโt be gramยญmatยญiยญcalยญly corยญrect (โno way,โ โwhere goโ)
- Using words to idenยญtiยญfy picยญtures in a book or surroundings.
- Get objects from anothยญer room when asked.
- Point to a few body parts when asked.
- Bring things to you to show you.
- Point to objects, waitยญing to name or bring it to them.
- Name a few everyยญday objects when asked.
- Enjoy preยญtendยญing (preยญtend cooking).
- Learn about one new word per week.
- Say some 2โword phrasยญes like โMom go,โ and โAll gone.โ
2 to 3 Years
Between 2 and 3 years old, usuยญalยญly when parยญents see an exploยญsion in kidsโ verยญbal skills. Itโs often said that a childโs vocabยญuยญlary grows to 200 or more words durยญing this time.
Some of the mileยญstones to look for these years include:
- Sayยญing more words and pickยญing up new words that he/she hears regularly.
- Comยญbinยญing three or more words into senยญtences likeโ I want juice.โ or โ bus go round.โ
- They begin to idenยญtiยญfy colours and shapes.
- They try to sing nursยญery rhymes and songs.
- Beginยญning to express feelยญings with words (โI hunยญgry,โ โMom cryโ)
Final Thought!
There is a wide range of norยญmal lanยญguage develยญopยญment in todยญdlers. Comยญparยญing one kid to anothยญer isnโt helpยญful since kids hit mileยญstones at difยญferยญent times, and many facยญtors can influยญence how much or how well a kid speaks.
For instance, chilยญdren who live in a bilinยญgual home may take a litยญtle longer to become fluยญent in either lanยญguage. The brain has to work hardยญer to interยญpret and use two languages.
So it may take longer for that kid to start using either one or both of the lanยญguages theyโre learnยญing. Itโs not unusuยญal for a bilinยญgual child to use just one lanยญguage for a while. (but in the long run, may have sigยญnifยญiยญcantยญly betยญter verยญbal skills than their peers).
Always rememยญber that your kid does want to comยญmuยญniยญcate with you. Read to your kid and talk as much as you can. Encourยญage your child to speak. When he or she tries to speak, praise their efforts!
