According to The Hanen Centre, a late talker is a child between 18 and 30 months with a good understanding of language and typical development in other areas (hearing, vision, motor, and cognitive skills) but has a limited spoken vocabulary compared to peers for their age.
Call your doctor if your child: by 12 months: isn't using gestures, such as pointing or waving bye-bye. by 18 months: prefers gestures over vocalizations to communicate. by 18 months: has trouble imitating sounds.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), late talkers are toddlers (18 to 30 months old) who have a limited vocabulary for their age, but do not have any other developmental delays. Some late talkers may talk by three to five years of age.
And of course, late talking is one of the primary symptoms of autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and for intellectual disability (which was formally known as mental retardation).
Children with autism often have speech delays, but speech delays alone do not mean your child has autism. Autistic speech delays usually occur along with other communication issues, such as not using gestures, not responding to their name, and not showing interest in connecting with people.
A child with a speech delay tends to naturally use body language and eye contact. Autistic children, on the other hand, may have trouble with social interaction, play skills, communication, and behavior. Children with autism may prefer to be alone.
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.
If you think your child has a problem with their speech or language, let their doctor know right away. The doctor will need to test their hearing. They'll probably also suggest that your child see a professional who can diagnose and treat these delays, called a speech-language pathologist or speech therapist.
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. Early intervention is key if you are concerned that your child may be a late talker.
70-80% of late talkers will catch up (Whitehouse et. al, 2011). “Late talker” refers to a little one younger than 30 months old who is meeting milestones in other domains, including understanding of language, just not in expressive communication. But unfortunately, that does mean that 20-30% will continue to struggle.
Talking: What to expect when
By age 3, your child will probably have words for almost everything. And by age 4, he'll talk in sentences using five or more words, though his vocabulary will vary widely. He'll also be able to answer simple questions and mimic adult sounds well enough for most strangers to understand him.
The main difference between other speech delays and autism-related speech delays is that children who are just late talkers still attempt to engage and communicate in different ways. For example, they might make babbling sounds, point, and use other types of body language to get what they want.
In general, there is no need to worry if your toddler isn't talking and seems "behind"—even if they are at the older end of that range. Of course, if your child is 19 months and still not talking, you may be concerned, but this too can be normal. It takes some children longer to master speech than others.
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.
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.
It's often caused by brain damage before or during birth or in a child's first years. Often there can also be hearing issues and a disconnect between cognitive function and stimuli.
A late talker is a toddler between the ages of 18 to 30 months, who is developing normal play, social, thinking and motor skills, but who is limited in spoken vocabulary for their age. Toddlers who are late talkers do not necessarily have speech delay. Most late talkers have difficulty with expressive language.
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.
A delay in speech or language is one of the earliest signs we have for kids that do go on to get a diagnosis of ADHD later in childhood. In this 2012 study, researchers found that two-thirds of the elementary-aged kids with ADHD had a speech or language delay at 18 months.
They'll usually be able to let you know what they want in most situations. Some 3 year olds speak very clearly, while others still use some 'baby talk'. Your child may stumble over some words, but this will probably clear up by itself. Your 3 year old can understand 1000 or more words.
It may surprise some to learn that the odds of the late talking being ASD—or some other dire condition is much less than 50-50.
People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others. They can also find it difficult to change their routine and can be sensitive to sounds, pain, tastes, or other sensations. But generally, they are able to carry out the tasks of daily living well.