FYI-Tips for Late Talkers
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Questions about when kids should start talking, how to get them to talk more, etc. come up on here at least monthly it seems. I've been meaning to make a hand-out on this topic for work for years and I finally had time to sit and finish it today. I'll preface it by saying that the *average* age of the first word is 12 months. Most children have a vocabulary of about 25 words by 15 months and are putting 2 words together like "more juice." There is a range of average and most late-talkers just need a little kick in the pants to get going.
Anyway, here's my hand-out if you're interested:
Tips for Late Talkers
1. Read to your child daily. Don't feel obligated to stick to the text, but also talk about the pictures and "play" in the book.
Ex. The character in the story is taking a bath. Pretend to wash the character's face and say, "wash, wash his face." Pretend to pop the bubbles in the tub "pop, pop." You can pretend like the character is splashing too much water and tell him, "No, no" then mom/dad says, "You are making a _______" and child says "mess."
2. Give your child 2 choices throughout the day. Always give one choice that you think you child wants and couple it with an item he doesn't want. When you verbalize the 2 choices say the preferred one last. This is the one your child has just heard and will be more likely to repeat and imitate.
Ex. Parent says: "Do you want water or juice?"
Child points to juice and says "uh"
Parent says: "Juice, you want juice. Here's the juice."
Gradually shape the child's vocalizations from gesture (pointing, reaching), to gesture with vocalization, to word approximation. So, from reaching to "uh, uh" to "doo" (for juice), and ultimately "juice." Don't reward tantrums, crying, or whining! If your child requests inappropriately then don't give the desired item. Put it away, distract your child and calm him, and try again later. If you reward screaming then your child learns that screaming gets him what he wants instead of speech.
3. Don't automatically meet your child's needs even if you know what he needs or wants. Don't get into the happen of handing your child a cup of milk or picking him up. Set up opportunities for him to ask. You can always use binary choice (see #2) or just create some communication pressure by having a desired object in eyesight, but out of reach so that he has to ask for the object. You can also give your child a "broken" toy so that he has to request help or give him an object in a clear locking plastic container that is difficult to open. Shape your child's utterances as he talks.
Ex. There is a cup of juice on the counter.
Child: Reaches and says, "uh."
Parent: "I didn't understand you. What do you want?"
Child: "uh"
Parent: "Juice. Do you want juice?"
Child: "uh"
Parent: "Here is the juice. Mmmmm. Juice is yummy."
Gradually shape the utterance into a better word approximation such as "do" for juice and then "juice." Raise the bar every day or so and demand better speech by telling your child that you didn't understand. You want your child to get just to the level of frustration, but don't cross the line. Your child will benefit from some pressure to communicate, but don't push it to the point of a tantrum. Reward attempts with a response and verbal praise.
Some ways to create increased communication opportunities:
*Place objects out of reach
*Present objects that are "broken" or in a container/package that is hard to open
*"Forget" something (like one shoes when getting ready to go outside, paper for an art project)
*Only give your child a limited amount of something so he has to ask for "more" (2 goldfish crackers, 1/4 cup of juice)
*Be silly and start to read a book upside down or put a shoe on your head so your child can correct you.
4. Use short simple sentences when you talk and be repetitive.
Ex. Getting ready to eat lunch
Parent says: Eat. Yum, yum. We are going to eat lunch. What do you want to eat? Noodles or turkey? Mmmmm, turkey. I like to eat turkey. (The word "eat" has just been used 4 times and in context so that the child learns the pronunciation and meaning of the word.)
5. Shape any utterance that your child makes and give it meaning.
Ex. You and your child are playing with baby dolls.
Child holds doll and says: "Bah"
Parent says: "Bottle. You want a bottle. Baby wants milk." Give child baby bottle for doll.
Child says: "uh" (probably with no real communicative intent)
Parent says: "Uh-oh. She is making a mess. Let's wipe the milk off her face. Wipe, wipe her face."
6. Sing and play throughout the day. Songs and fingerplays like Itsy, Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, and Old McDonald Had a Farm are great ways to have fun with speech and language. Don't be embarrassed to make up silly songs during routines like mealtimes, bath time, and diaper changes like "This is the way we wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. This is the way we wash your hands before we eat a snack" sung to the tune of Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush.
7. Play with your child. Young children need to have good play skills in order to have the cognitive skills, ability to form mental representation, attention, and symbolic understanding necessary for language comprehension and expression. Young children do best at playing what they have learned through daily routines such as meal preparation and eating, bath time, going to the doctor, etc. So, having a doll or teddy bear take a bath or go to the doctor is a wonderful scenario for your child to act out what she knows and develop good pretend skills. Good play skills are a necessary foundation to language skills.
8. Repeat key words and phrases over and over.
Ex. "Uh-oh! You have jelly on your face. We need to wipe, wipe, wipe your face off."
9. Expose your child to new environments and experiences while talking about them. The grocery store is a fabulous language environment. You can build vocabulary by labeling foods; describing things by color, taste, texture (pineapples feel prickly, kiwi is fuzzy), smell; comparing similarities and differences, playing "I spy", etc. Other good language experiences are:
*Art activities (and the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum downtown has a great room for toddlers and preschoolers to play and explore with art and music for a modest fee)
*Museums
*Zoos
*Parks (playing on the equipment, people watching, feeding ducks)
*Doctor's office
*Mall
*Restaurants
*Farm
10. Enjoy your child. Use language frequently to describe and talk about things without asking a lot of questions. Pause frequently to allow your child to absorb new language and allow him or her time to respond verbally.
Oops should be 18 months, not 15 months for vocab. of 25 words and putting 2 words together.
Pam, thanks for sharing this. It will help many parents here. You've stated everything very clearly. 
Thanks. I sure I will need these tips new baby since John was such a late talker. I think we are taking sign language class too but I am not sure the age to start that.
Feona -
You can begin signing at any time, but a typical child has the cognitive and motor skills to begin signing back around 9 months, if signs have been used consistently and meaningfully with the child for several weeks. Start with two or three signs; the first ones take the longest for the child to learn because they have to understand the communicative concept of signing. Once they've started signing a couple, you can gradually add new ones and they tend to pick them up much faster.
Whew, on that correction, Pam -- you should have seen my eyes bug out at the 15 month statement -- I was thinking my kids are even more delayed than I thought they were! :o)
How incredibly thoughtful of you. I know each child is different but sometimes I find myself comparing my children (who did what at what age). I know it's wrong but sometimes I can't help it. Each of my children has their own strengths and weaknesses. I just have to remind myself of that. Thanks!
Pam, you know better than anyone how much I needed that! Thanks! And, yes, I too about had a heart attack while reading the 15 month stage. Although, Connor is nowhere near the point of putting 2 words together. He babbles a TON, but I'm trying!!!
Thanks for the awesome reminder!
Faith is almost 19 months old ,and does not say her recommended amount of words. I talked to the dr at her 18 month check up. I told the dr she said maybe 10-15 words, and does not put 2 words together. I did go on to say, that Faith does understand EVERYTHING you say to her. Even when you are not talking to her, she listens. For example, I will tell my 6 yr old to get her shoes. Faith hears this, and picks up her sisters shoes etc..
I did tell the dr she jibber jabbers all day long, like she is having her own conversation, just we dont know what she is saying. The dr called that "Jargon". She went to say, that I should not worry about anything now, she seems right on track.
Thank you so much Pam. I think this is going to be incredibly helpful! My DD is almost four, and has an enourmous vocabular, but it no where near where she should be conversationally! She has a tendency to use pat phrases, and even whole movie scenes, to get her point across. I feel great about her memory (she watches a video or movie once or twice and memorizes all the lines WORD OR WORD), but I would like some conversation!
I'm going to start using these right way!
Bumping again for Heidi. Remember that there are typos in this--ugh! Can't fix them now.
Thanks!
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