Do You Have A Late Talker? What To Check, And When To Act

New research on late talkers reveal some very interesting details. Read on to find out exactly what!

“He’ll talk when he’s ready” is the most common response to a worried parent, and it’s right often enough to be dangerous, because the children for whom it’s wrong can’t be identified by waiting.

Get the hearing tested first, always.

Before anything else is assumed about speech, hearing needs ruling out. Glue ear, fluid behind the eardrum, is common in young children, often produces no obvious symptoms, and muffles exactly the frequencies speech lives in. It’s treatable, and it’s missed constantly.

A newborn hearing screen doesn’t settle it. Hearing can change.

What’s typical at each age


Age	Typical
6–12 months	Babbling with consonants: “bababa”, “dadada”. Responds to their name. Points at things.
12 months	One or two words with meaning. Understands simple instructions.
18 months	Around 20 words or more, and understands much more than they say.
2 years	Around 50 words, and beginning to put two together: “more milk”, “daddy gone”. Strangers understand about half.
3 years	Short sentences, hundreds of words. Strangers understand about three quarters.
4 years	Largely intelligible to strangers, telling simple stories.

When to get it looked at

No babbling with consonants by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No two-word phrases by 24 months
Not responding to their name, or inconsistent responses to sound
No pointing or showing you things by 12 to 18 months. Shared attention counts as much as words
No pretend play by two: feeding a doll, a block as a phone
Very hard to understand at three
More frustration and tantrums than peers, which often reflects not being understood

Any loss of skills, at any age, is different and urgent. A child who had words and has stopped using them, or who was social and has withdrawn, should be seen promptly, not watched.

Growing up with more than one language

Growing up with two or three languages doesn’t cause speech delay. This is a persistent belief here and it isn’t supported.

Count vocabulary across all languages combined, not in each separately. A child with 25 English words and 25 Mandarin words has 50 words, which is on track at two.
Mixing languages in one sentence is normal and is a sign of competence, not confusion.
Don’t drop a language on the advice of a well-meaning relative. If a genuine delay exists, removing a language doesn’t fix it, and it costs the child a language and, often, a grandparent they can talk to.
Consistency helps: one person one language, or one place one language, though families manage this in many ways.
Speak to the assessor in all your home languages. A child assessed only in their weaker language will look more delayed than they are.

What helps at home

Follow their lead. Talk about what they’re already looking at, not what you want them to attend to.
Pause and wait. Count to five after saying something. Adults fill the gap in about one second, and the gap is where the child’s turn goes.
Expand instead of correcting. They say “car”; you say “big red car”. Not “say big red car”.
Narrate constantly: what you’re doing, what they’re doing. It feels absurd and it works.
Stop quizzing. “What’s this? What colour? What sound does it make?” is testing, not conversation, and it reduces talking instead of increasing it.
Don’t anticipate every need. A child whose cup arrives before they ask has no reason to ask.
Get face to face, at their level, where they can see your mouth.
Read every day, and let them interrupt, turn pages and tell it wrong.
Reduce background screens. Passive screen time doesn’t teach language, and a television on in the room reduces the adult talking that does.

Where to go in Singapore

Start with your polyclinic or paediatrician for a hearing test and a referral.
KKH and NUH child development services assess speech and language.
Early intervention programmes exist and have waiting lists, and that’s the practical argument against waiting to see.
Private speech therapists are available with shorter waits if that’s an option.
Ask, don’t wait to be offered. A referral costs little, and being reassured is a good outcome, not a wasted appointment.

Frequently asked questions

When should I worry about my child’s speech?

No consonant babbling by 12 months, no words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months, not responding to their name, no pointing or showing by 12 to 18 months, no pretend play by two, or being very hard to understand at three. Any loss of previously acquired skills, at any age, should be seen promptly, not watched.

What should be checked first?

Hearing, always. Glue ear is common in young children, often has no obvious symptoms, and muffles the frequencies speech occupies. It’s treatable and frequently missed, and a newborn hearing screen doesn’t settle the question because hearing can change.

Does being bilingual delay speech?

No. Count vocabulary across all languages combined, not separately. A child with 25 English and 25 Mandarin words has 50 words, which is on track at two. Mixing languages within a sentence is a sign of competence, not confusion, and dropping a language doesn’t fix a genuine delay.

What can I do at home to help?

Follow their lead and talk about what they’re already attending to. Pause and count to five after speaking, since adults fill the gap in about a second and that gap is the child’s turn. Expand what they say instead of correcting it, narrate constantly, and stop quizzing. “What’s this?” is testing, not conversation, and reduces talking.

Should I just wait and see?

Many late talkers do catch up, but there’s no way to identify in advance which ones will. Early intervention has waiting lists and works better the earlier it starts, so asking for an assessment costs little and being reassured is a good outcome.

Where do I get help in Singapore?

Start at your polyclinic or paediatrician for a hearing test and referral. KKH and NUH child development services assess speech and language, and private speech therapists are available with shorter waits. Ask, don’t wait to be offered.

What to remember

Test the hearing first. Glue ear is common, silent and treatable, and it’s the thing most often missed.

Bilingualism doesn’t cause delay. Count words across all languages together, and don’t drop one on anyone’s advice.

At home: follow their lead, wait five seconds, expand instead of correcting, and stop quizzing.

And don’t wait and see. The referral costs little, and reassurance is a fine result.