My toddler understands everything, but isn't talking — Toddler Talk (2023)

FAQs

Why does my kid understand everything but not talk? ›

The two most common reasons why are: A child is developing talking or pronunciation skills at a slower pace than their peers. A child is having trouble learning the coordination for making sounds for speech.

A 3-year-old who can comprehend and nonverbally communicate but can't say many words may have a speech delay. One who can say a few words but can't put them into understandable phrases may have a language delay. Some speech and language disorders involve brain function and may be indicative of a learning disability.

Also call the doctor if your child's speech is harder to understand than expected for their age: Parents and regular caregivers should understand about 50% of a child's speech at 2 years and 75% of it at 3 years. By 4 years old, a child should be mostly understood, even by people who don't know the child.

Speech/Language Milestones

Boys tend to develop language skills a little later than girls, but in general, kids may be labeled "late-talking children" if they speak less than 10 words by the age of 18 to 20 months, or fewer than 50 words by 21 to 30 months of age.

There are several reasons why a 2-year-old is babbling but not talking. Sometimes, it may be because they are shy or introverted. It can also be related to hearing loss or other developmental delays. In most cases, however, the cause is unknown.

Not necessarily. While speech delays, language delays, and learning differences are often a hallmark of ASD, a speech delay by itself does not mean a child has autism. In fact, there are key differences between communication delays caused by autism and other types of speech-language disorders.

The child may seem to have one-sided social interaction and limited ability to form friendships. He or she may often talk incessantly about one subject, without acknowledging the listener. Toddler's with HFA usually have difficulty in social situations (e.g., imaginative play with other kids).

If your child is over two years old, you should have your pediatrician evaluate them and refer them for speech therapy and a hearing exam if they can only imitate speech or actions but don't produce words or phrases by themselves, they say only certain words and only those words repeatedly, they cannot follow simple ...

Causes Of Speech And Language Delays

Your child has problems with their tongue or roof of their mouth that is preventing them from forming words. Your child has a hearing problem. Your child has a lack of stimulation, meaning that they are not being talked to enough. Your child has a developmental disorder like autism.

Developmental Delay of Expressive or Receptive Language

Trouble with language processing is usually caused by one of four problems: delayed expressive or receptive language, autism spectrum disorder, hearing loss, and global developmental delay.

What are signs of autism in a 2 year old? ›

Most children who don't talk have no choice in the matter. If they could talk, but actually have made the choice not to talk, they would be diagnosed with selective mutism, and this diagnosis is very, very rare. Selective mutism requires that a child use language that is typical for his age in at least one setting.

To be sure, most late talking children do not have high intelligence. However, there are certainly many cases on record indicating that there may be trade-offs between early, precocious development of reasoning and analytical abilities and the development of verbal skills.

Although some kids with late language emergence later prove to be “late bloomers” (who ultimately catch up to their peers without intervention), the differentiation is really only made after the fact. That's why we recommend all “late talkers” get early intervention speech therapy.

He explains that late talking is only one of a constellation of autism symptoms. Although all autistic children are late talkers, not all late-talking children are autistic.

A 2 year old not talking is a reason to seek advice from a speech pathologist or a health professional. There is a lot of variation and reason for delayed toddler talking, however, if they are saying NO words at 2, it is a definite red flag for them being at risk of development and learning delays.

Recite nursery rhymes and sing songs. Play rhymes, stories and songs in the car. Copy your child's attempts at words to encourage two-way conversation. Also build on your child's words – for example, when your toddler says 'train', you can say, 'Yes, it's a big red train'.

Some children may have problems with auditory processing, the system by which their brains interpret the words that they hear. Others may struggle with the motor skills needed to form words. For example, speech apraxia affects people's ability to plan and coordinate the mouth and tongue movements used to talk.

Most late talkers present similarly and are still able to communicate through gestures and body movements. They have better receptive language and play skills as compared to those with ASD. To be considered a true late talker, the only thing your child is going through is a delay in expressive language skills.

Autistic children enjoy play and learn through play, just as typically developing children do. Through playing with others, your child can learn and practise new social skills and abilities. These skills are important for your child's overall development.

What is the difference between autism and late talker? ›

However, there are some notable differences between the two problems. Speech delay is a problem where a child has difficulty developing speech and language skills. In contrast, autism spectrum disorder is a neurological disorder that affects social skills, learning, communication, and behavior.

What are the Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome? Children with Asperger's Syndrome exhibit poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, limited facial expressions and other peculiar mannerisms. They might engage in obsessive routines and show an unusual sensitivity to sensory stimuli.

Avoiding eye contact and being difficult to engage in conversation. Missing verbal or physical cues, such as not looking at where someone is pointing. Having difficulty understanding others' feelings or talking about feelings in general. Reluctance to socialize or a preference for isolation.

Children can be misdiagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and not actually be autistic. It is concerning enough for a parent to be told their child is on the Autism Spectrum, but for a child to be misdiagnosed as having autism can cause unnecessary stress and worry for the family.

Studies report a link between TV and language development in young children. The more time kids spend watching television, the more slowly they learn to talk.

By age 3, a toddler's vocabulary usually is more than 200 words. Kids can string together 2- or 3-word sentences. They can talk with you in a conversation that has at least 2 back-and-forth exchanges. Other people can understand your toddler most of the time.

MENTAL RETARDATION. Mental retardation is the most common cause of speech delay, accounting for more than 50 percent of cases.

Some children with expressive language delay "catch up" during the preschool years ("late bloomers"), whereas others have persistent delay (see 'Natural history' below). Early evaluation can help to correctly identify late-talking children who will benefit from intervention and/or additional evaluation.

Simple speech delays are sometimes temporary. They may resolve on their own or with a little extra help from family. It's important to encourage your child to "talk" to you with gestures or sounds and for you to spend lots of time playing with, reading to, and talking with your infant or toddler.

What causes a child not to start talking? ›

There are several things that can cause speech delays, such as hearing loss, physical problems in the roof of the mouth, learning disabilities, or certain diagnosable conditions like autism spectrum disorder or cerebral palsy.

However, the term nonverbal isn't completely accurate, since it means “without words.” Even if an autistic person is nonspeaking, they may still use words in other ways (such as in writing). They may also understand the words that are spoken to them or that they overhear.

Some children have trouble processing sensory information such as loud noise and jostling from crowds – a condition known as sensory integration dysfunction. This can make them "shut down" and be unable to speak when overwhelmed in a busy environment.

Hyperlexia is advanced and unexpected reading skills and abilities in children way beyond their chronological age. It is a fairly recently named condition (1967) although earlier descriptions of precocious reading do exist.

Red flags for a speech or language delay include: No babbling by 9 months. No first words by 15 months. No consistent words by 18 months.

So if your toddler is 2 or 3 years old and isn't yet talking, it's vital to go ahead and speak with their pediatrician, or with a speech-language pathologist. They will likely recommend a speech evaluation in order to assess your child's current abilities. Early intervention is so important in these situations.

When people hear that a child is nonverbal, they often think of autism (ASD). While some individuals with ASD are nonverbal, there are a variety of other conditions that cause a child to be nonverbal, pre-verbal, or have emerging or delayed verbal skills, either short-term or long-term.

Focus on nonverbal communication.

Use both your body and your voice when communicating – for example, by extending your hand to point when you say “look” and nodding your head when you say “yes.” Use gestures that are easy for your child to imitate. Examples include clapping, opening hands, reaching out arms, etc.

Nonverbal autism tends to occur in what's known as severe autism, or level 3 autism. In some cases, a child will eventually learn to speak. For those who don't, new approaches and technologies are making it possible for kids with autism to communicate in other ways.

Recite nursery rhymes and sing songs. Play rhymes, stories and songs in the car. Copy your child's attempts at words to encourage two-way conversation. Also build on your child's words – for example, when your toddler says 'train', you can say, 'Yes, it's a big red train'.

What causes language delay in toddlers? ›

A delay in speech development may be a symptom of many disorders, including mental retardation, hearing loss, an expressive language disorder, psychosocial deprivation, autism, elective mutism, receptive aphasia and cerebral palsy. Speech delay may be secondary to maturation delay or bilingualism.

The most common causes of speech delay include: Hearing loss. Slow development. Intellectual disability.

Einstein syndrome is a condition where a child experiences late onset of language, or a late language emergence, but demonstrates giftedness in other areas of analytical thinking. A child with Einstein syndrome eventually speaks with no issues, but remains ahead of the curve in other areas.

We say that they do not yet have communicative intent. A pre-verbal child may communicate intentionally, but does not yet use words (or symbols) to communicate. We are usually referring to children who have learned that the key to communication is getting a message across to someone else.

People with dyslexia may say a wrong word that sounds similar to the right one (like extinct instead of distinct). Or they may talk around it using vague words like thing or stuff. This kind of mental hiccup can happen when they're writing too.