Late Talkers

Children learn language at an astonishing rate. There is a huge variation in the speed at which children learn different skills, language being one of them. While it is common for children to experience delayed language, identifying when it needs a medical evaluation is key to supporting your child.

What we Know

• Late talking is very common, as many as 13 - 19 % of children are late talkers.

• Boys are more likely to be late talkers than girls with 75% are boys.

• Late talking can affect children’s behaviour, school readiness and ability to form social friendships.

Signs

A child is considered a late talker if they are;

18 MONTHS
Not saying any words

18-20 MONTHS
Saying fewer than 10 words

21-30 MONTHS
Saying fewer than 50 words

Cause

Late talking is not the parents fault, some children find learning to talk harder than others. Stephen Camarata found most parents of late talkers he see’s in his practise work in a science or analytical field.

There is no known cause of late talking however some studies have found associated risk factors such as; gender, being a twin, low birth weight, premature and family history of language difficulties.

What we Know

40 - 60% late talkers catch up on their own which is why you may hear people refer to them as ‘late bloomers’.

Wait and See Approach is no longer recommended as late talking can affect children’s school readiness and socialisation.

Late Talking can be an early warning sign that a child is struggling with their hearing or speech and language always seek help if you are concerned about your child’s language.

Early Intervention

Why is Early Intervention Important?
Embraces the critical period in the early years for language development. Early intervention has excellent results and is more cost affective than waiting.

Who is Likely to Need Early Intervention?
Late Talkers with a family history of language problems or children who struggle to understand language are more likely to require early intervention.

How To Help

Contact your doctor for an assessment
If your child is has not met their milestones, contact your family doctor who will refer you to see a speech therapist and audiologist for an assessment.

Starting using strategies at home today
There are lots of strategies that can help late talkers while they are waiting for a speech therapy assessment. Speech Rocket guides you through some easy speech therapy strategies you can begin at home today.

Are There Links?

A language disorder is when a child has a particular difficulty with an element of speech and language, a delay or late talking is when a child hasn’t met their milestones the two can be hard to differentiate when children are young.

Delayed language can be an early sign of a disorder, a hearing problem or a child learning language at their own pace. Always seek professional medical advice if you are concerned. Check out our Language Disorder page to find out more.

Einstein Syndrome

Children with the Einstein syndrome represent a very small proportion of late talkers, they have incredible high intelligence and often show extreme giftedness in one of the following:

• Puzzle solving

• Musical abilities

• Analytical thinking

Named after Albert Einstein who didn’t talk when he was nearly five.

Autism

Late talking is one of the early signs of autism, however it is only ONE of the signs and not all children with autism have delayed language.

Many children who do not have autism can show a few of the early signs, get a professional evaluation if you have any concerns.