FAQs
My child is using a few words, but other kids his age seem more talkative. Is he delayed?
Children are unique individuals and there is a spectrum of typical development at any age. The best way to determine if your child is delayed is through a comprehensive evaluation.
We speak two (or more) languages at home. Does this impact my child’s development?
The use of more than one language at home does not impact a child’s rate of communication development. Spanish, English, Urdu, Mandarin - these are all different language codes and as your child develops communication, they will learn to flexibly use the codes they are exposed to.
My toddler is not talking. Should I be worried?
An 18-month old child could use anywhere from 3-50 words. At 24-months, early word combinations (e.g. “mommy come”) are emergent. If your toddler is not babbling or using words, this may be a sign of a language delay.
My child has been diagnosed with a language disorder. Should I just use English?
Bilingualism does not cause language delays and does not impact language growth. Research has indicated that bilingual interventions result in equal or greater progress than English-only interventions. If your family uses a language other than English at home, they should continue to use this language and an SLP can support the family in using strategies in that language.
My child is hard to understand, will they grow out of it?
Young children often demonstrate speech patterns that are hard to understand, but slowly develop mastery of different sounds and longer words as they age. By the age of 3, your child should be understood about 75% of the time. By age of 5-6, most children can produce all the sounds in their language.
My child has autism and my family has no idea how to connect with him. What do I do/say?
Share your child’s interests and strengths with your family. Encourage them to follow your child’s lead, include his interests in activities, and be aware of contexts that make it hard for him to communicate (e.g. too much noise, lots of activity, many people). The Hanen® resources for More than Words® provide helpful tools to share with family members in engaging children with social difficulties.