Tiny Voices, Big Breakthroughs: How Speech Therapy Helps Late-Talking Toddlers in Cochrane
Written By: McKenna Crisp, M.S R-SLP
Registered Speech Language Pathologist
If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is “on track” with their talking, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions parents ask!
What is a Late Talker?
While it’s important to remember that every child develops at their own pace; there are some general milestones Speech Pathologists look at to help guide progress. In speech-language pathology, we don’t just look at how many words a child says, we look at several parts of communication, including:
Receptive language – the words your child understands
Expressive language – the words your child says
Non Verbal Communication – the gestures your child uses, their engagement, and social interaction
A late talker is a child who is not yet talking as much as we would expect for their age, but does not have any other diagnosis such as hearing loss, Global Developmental Delay, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Two Key Phrases to Remember
There are two simple phrases we often use when thinking about early speech development. There is variability with each child, but generally:
Two - Word Combinations, Second Birthday
By around your child’s second birthday, we expect them to start putting two words together, such as: “Bye dada”, “Ball go”, “Puppy walk”, “More milk”.
These little combinations are a big milestone! They show that your child is starting to connect ideas together.
Before children can combine two words, they typically need to have about 50 single words in their vocabulary.
First Word, First Birthday
Around your child’s first birthday, we expect to hear their first real word! This might be something like “Mama”, “Dada”, or “Ball”.
These words don’t have to be perfectly clear; they just need to be used consistently and with meaning.
For example, many kids will refer to “water” as “wawa”, this counts as a word!
When Should I Seek Intervention for my Child?
What does a Speech Therapy session look like at Ascend Pediatrics?
At Ascend Pediatrics, we believe that children learn best when they’re having fun. That’s why we are a play-based intervention clinic. Play-based therapy means we use toys, games, movement, books, and everyday routines to build your child’s communication skills.
We Focus on Parent Training Because You Are the Expert
Especially with our late-talkers, one of the most important parts of our sessions is parent coaching. You are with your child far more than we are. Our goal isn’t just to help your child during their therapy hour but to empower you with strategies you can use every day.
During sessions, we:
Model simple language-building techniques
Show you how to follow your child’s lead in play
Help you recognize opportunities to expand communication
Provide practical strategies that fit into your daily routines
We keep strategies simple, realistic, and doable, because parenting is already a full-time job!
Do you have questions regarding your child’s speech and language development? Please reach out to info@ascendpeds.com, and they would be happy to help!
