Child not starting to talk

Everything About Late Talkers

Delayed speech is a problem observed in many babies. Lot of babies do have speech problem initially but they are able to talk fluently without any help from outside after some time. However, you must understand the reasons why your baby is not talking and what should be done in this case.

Do you think that your baby is not talking and it is high time? It is for sure that every parent long to hear the first word from their children, but sometimes due to different reasons late talking in infants is observed. Here it is very important you know what should you expect from your child’s speech development and also know whether there is a problem or not.

Well, experts are of the opinion that babies that speak late catch up words and sentences faster than others. One of the facts is that many children are late talkers and most of them often do not need any outside help. However, before deciding whether to meet a speech therapist or not, learn about what is normal and when to contact a specialist.

What is Normal? 

Though almost all children start speaking in more or less the same time, there are children who speak late. If you talk about the rule, it is expected that the child will start talking a word or two by the age of 1 and a combination of words in 18 months or 2 years. But this does not mean that if your child has not spoken till the age of 2, she has some problem. There are many reasons behind the late talking of toddlers.

A speech therapist takes care of the child’s understanding capacity and then starts teaching her words or they even break the words in mere sounds. Making gestures and following then indicates that your child can understand and communicate now. Do not worry, just spend sometime with your child and make her speak after you. Encourage her to do so.

Reasons Behind Speech Delay 

Have a quick look at the reasons behind speech delay.

• Boys – Normally boys talk later than girls. This might be the case with your child.

• Premature Baby – Premature babies take time to start talking, walking and doing all normal activities. 

• Twins – Studies have revealed that when twins are born, they talk later than normal.

• Talkative Elder Brother or Sister – When toddlers find that their elder one is talking too much, they do not find any need to talk. 

• Ear Infection – If the child had ear infection when a newborn or very young, it can affect his talking effort. Poor hearing always results in delayed speech.

• Attention in Other Activities – Sometimes it is observed that all the other activities of the child are normal yet she does not communicate in language. It is possible that her attention is more on activities than talking.

What to do When Baby is Not Talking

Here is what you should do when your baby is not talking.

• In normal cases, you simply need to spend sometime with your kid. 

• Play games and try to make her speak during different activities.

• Check whether she has any ear infection or language problem.

• You can also make her sing a song or do activities with her in which she has interest.

• Toy phones also encourage children to speak.

• While making your baby talk, do not ask questions. Just make her repeat words. This will help in a better way.

• Do not let your child watch television for long.

Most of the children start talking late and then catch the speed. But if you are concerned about late talking in your child, do not hesitate to discuss this with your pediatrician.