Late Talkers: How to help your child

Typical language development

For a detailed breakdown of what to expect at each stage, please see Speech and Language UK's Age and Stages website page.

Let's start talking webinar

Our ‘let’s start talking’ webinar is designed to support children's early language development.

The webinar is right for you if you’re worried because:

  • Your child isn’t using many words.
  • Your child isn’t saying as much as others their age.
  • Your child is starting to say single words but isn’t yet putting two or more words together.
  • Is struggling to build simple sentences.

The webinar contains helpful tips and advice on how to approach therapy with your child at home.

We also encourage your child’s early years practitioner, key worker or childminder to watch and implement the strategies with your child when they are with them.

 

Special times

It can be difficult to remember to use all the strategies mentioned in the webinar video all the time so we suggest setting up a special time.  

Special time is:

  • A time for you and your child to play together and should ideally happen for five to 10 minutes every day. 
  • A time when your child can choose the activity and is in control of how they play within that activity.
  • Your child's special time with you, so try to use a room or area where you won’t be disturbed.  
  • Use the language you feel most comfortable in. You don’t have to do your special times in English.

Set up a daily special time with your child andk at least one strategy from those below to focus on and have a go.

You can use our Special times record Sheet.pdf 10KB.

Here's further information about how to set-up your special time: Special Times Explanation Sheet.pdf 350KB

Here are summary sheets for each of the strategies mentioned in the webinar for further info:

Please watch the videos below to see some of the strategies discussed above in real life examples. The videos are filmed from the child’s point of view.  

Reading with your child

The shared reading of books is a brilliant way to build your child’s language and literacy skills.

Children's brains experience the most growth in their first five years when their brains are most responsive to what’s going on around them.

Reading books helps to kick-start your child's ongoing learning journey and supports school readiness.

Books give you the chance to expose your child to new words and ideas, have back-and-forth conversations, and introduce your child to storytelling and to the printed word. 

We know that children who read regularly:

  • Have a bigger and richer vocabulary.
  • Experience better mental well-being.
  • Form stronger bonds and relationships.
  • Do better at school and are more creative.
  • Have greater general knowledge.

Please see our leaflets attached to give you ideas on how you can encourage your child to explore books:

Watch the short video below to give you ideas on how to turn book reading into a back and forth conversation

Useful links

I'm worried about my child's speech sounds

Speech refers to the sounds a child makes and not the words they use.

When children are learning to talk, it is common for them to mix up or mispronounce sounds.

For example:

  • K and g sounds are produced as t and d at the front of the mouth. So, 'car' becomes 'tar', and 'good' becomes 'dood'.

We often find these errors resolve as the child’s talking develops and very young children often struggle to demonstrate the attention, listening and awareness skills required to work on their speech development in direct therapy.

However, there are a few things that you can do to support your child with sounds that they may be finding difficult.

  • Repeat back to your child clearly without correcting them. For example, when they say ‘tar’, you say ‘yes car’. You can put slight emphasis on the sound you want to model.
  • Play listening games focusing on sounds that they find challenging. Please see the ‘speech sounds’ section of our Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit for examples and ideas.
  • Keep an eye on your child’s hearing and ask for this to be checked if you have concerns. Fluctuating hearing levels can contribute to speech sound difficulties. Your GP or health visitor will be able to advise you on getting a hearing test if you think your child needs one.

Further information on typical errors that children make with their speech sounds can be found in this leaflet:  ICAN Speech sounds factsheet.pdf 112KB

If your concerns remain when your child turns three years and three months old, then you are advised to book a telephone advice live appointment to discuss your concerns with one of our speech and language therapists and seek further advice.

A referral to our team can be made from here if required.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the team on 0300 555 5965 or e-mail cpm-tr.SLTmailforparents@nhs.net.

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Common queries

What's next?

We advise putting the let’s start talking therapy advice into practise for at least 12 weeks.

Your child’s early years setting, key worker, portage team or health visitor will also be able to help you problem solve any difficulties you may have. We also have further advice and support available in our Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit.

If your concerns remain after 12 weeks of regular special time sessions, you are advised to book a telephone advice line appointment to discuss your concerns with one of our speech and language therapists and seek further advice. A referral to our team can be made from here if required.

If you are concerned that your child may be experiencing more than delayed language — for example, concerns around their general development, a specific genetic condition, their learning ability or autism — then please speak, in the first instance, with your heath visitor or early years setting about and early help assessment for a referral.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the speech and language therapy team on 0300 555 5965 or e-mail cpm-tr.SLTmailforparents@nhs.net.