When you are a new mom, it’s hard not to constantly be benchmarking your baby. Are they crawling yet? When should they be saying their first word? Why aren’t they walking yet? The neighbor’s kid is walking and she is two weeks younger.
Go to your mom for advice and she’ll tell you, “Once they start talking, they’ll never shut-up! Be thankful for the quiet.”
Thanks, Mom, but not what I was looking for.
When you are a new mom, it’s hard not to constantly be worrying too. I have a three-year-old boy who started walking at 17 months, 5 months later than average. You best believe I was calling up all of my physical therapist colleagues asking for advice (one of the perks of working as an SLP).
They reassured me that while my boy was a bit late, he was still within a normal range and gave me some exercises to do with him. He was walking within two weeks.
Keep Calm, Carry On
That’s going to be the case with many children who are a bit delayed with their speech. They are just a bit late to the party and with some exercises, you can help put them on the path toward never shutting up.
If your nugget is under 18 months and doesn’t have any words or only says “mama” (over and over and over), there may not be cause for acute concern. But, it is a good idea to start implementing some strategies at home to encourage speech.
It is also a good idea to start keeping track of the words your child does use. Tape a list to your fridge and make note of the independent words you hear. If you do need to seek support in the next few months, this will be helpful.
When to Seek Support
If your little one isn’t talking yet and is getting closer to 2 years old, trust your gut. Seek out a professional, even just to calm your nerves and cheer you on!
Or, if your love bug is showing other delays such as poor eye contact or doesn’t seem to know how to play, it is helpful to see a professional for a consultation.
You can meet with a speech-language pathologist or discuss with your pediatrician early around 14-18 months for these concerns as well.
If you’re stuck on a waitlist or are looking to encourage language in your little one, try these tips and strategies at home right away:
Get an Audiology Evaluation
You may think your little one can hear perfectly, but many times a slight hearing loss can go entirely undetected by family and pediatricians. So, if your toddler is not talking, you can consider getting his hearing evaluated.
If a little one isn’t hearing all of the speech frequencies, they may be receiving muffled input, delaying their output! If nothing else, rule out any hearing issue.
Put Favorite Toys Out of Reach or in Hard to Open Containers
This sets up situations for your child to request assistance. When your child reaches for something, model “up” or “Mama, help!” It’s ok if they don’t imitate it right away, but you must be showing them how and when to communicate. Don’t let your child get away with pointing! Every time they express a need it’s an opportunity to encourage speech.
Do Something Unexpected
Instead of stacking the rings and saying “on, on, on,” suddenly put one on your head. Look at your child expectantly, then pretend to sneeze, “ACHOO!” I bet your kiddo giggles and indicates that they want you to do it “again!” This is a great way to raise their interest while introducing them to new words.
Do Something Incorrect, on Purpose
For example, pretend to put their shoes on their hands! Most kids love to correct adults and find silly mistakes like this so motivating. Or forget a typical step in your bedtime or bath routine and watch how quickly your kid points out your mistake.
Offer Choices
For example, instead of handing over Goldfish crackers for the 10th time, offer a choice, setting up another opportunity for your child to communicate. “Do you want Goldfish or String Cheese?”
Moo
Playing with toy animals and making animal sounds is one of the most frequent activities I do in speech therapy for children with a speech delay. It seems a bit counterintuitive since animal noises aren’t human speech, but having your child imitate your sounds and noises is a great first step for further developing their speech and vocabulary. Plus, kids love animals and engaging play will help keep their attention.
Prompt
Have your child finish your sentence. Even more than that, give them part of the word they should be finishing. The first syllable is enough. Bonus points for modeling the word in the prior sentence. For example, “Junior your shoes are over there, can you grab your sh__.” Be sure to pause and give them time to fill in the blank!
Read, Read, Read!
You may get bored with the same book every night but research has shown that reading the same texts over and over to children improves their comprehension. It also expands their vocabulary and imagination.
If your toddler is not talking, rest assured, you’ve done nothing wrong. Children develop with speech delays for many different reasons, and many times we don’t know why. But with early intervention and support, we can help give your child their voice.
All kids are unique and they develop at their own pace! But you can always trust your instinct and seek help if needed. The earlier, the better! Hope the article was useful. Looking forward to your comments!
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