“He understands everything.” Missing Receptive Language Delays in Late Talkers
Delays in receptive language, or how a child understands words and follows directions, are often ignored or glossed over in late talkers.
I believe that receptive language delays are the most overlooked issue in toddlers with any kind of developmental challenge. In my experience, it’s the #1 reason late talkers don’t make progress. We get so hyperfocused on what they can (or can’t!) say, that we miss what they don’t understand.
He understands everything.
Many times, parents (and even physicians and therapists!) erroneously assume that a young child understands “everything” when there’s no real evidence to support that belief.
Here’s the truth, a toddler who isn’t saying very much may not understand very much.
Instead of teaching those kids to new say words, we should be focused on helping him understand what words mean. One of my mantras for working with toddlers who aren’t yet talking is this…
A child must understand words BEFORE he can use those words to communicate.
Examples of early receptive language skills include identifying familiar people and objects, consistently responding to their own names, pointing to body parts on request, responding to “no” and “stop,” and most importantly, following routine commands. Routine commands include tasks such as, “Put your arm in,” during dressing, “Open your mouth,” as you feed them or brush their teeth, along with requests to retrieve items, such as, “Go get your ____.” This list of skills is a good place to begin when you’re determining a child’s ability to understand familiar words and follow simple directions. Take a look at additional considerations in this list below.
Questions for parents:
• Does your child look when her name is called?
• Will she turn toward her parents when someone asks, “Where’s mama?” or “Show me your daddy?”
• Will he give you something he’s holding when you ask for it?
• How many body parts can he point to when you say, “Where’s your ____?”
• If he’s about to do something that’s off limits, will he stop when you say, “No!”
• Can she bring you familiar items when you ask her to “Find your shoes,” or, “Where’s your cup?”
• When you say things like “Let’s take a bath,” or “Are you hungry?” does he independently go to the appropriate place for that activity in your home?
Understanding and following these kinds of simple directions typically develops around the first birthday and should be firmly established by age 18 months.
If a 1 ½ year old toddler isn’t following very familiar commands, it’s a red flag for a larger developmental problem.
This issue is even more significant and likely when a child is 2 or 3 and isn’t consistently completing requests.
Understanding what people say is a part of everyday life for everybody. Improving a child’s ability to link meaning to words should be a top priority for any late talker.
Get My Free eBook
A Parent's Guide to Understanding Speech Language Development
Browse Products
Featured Product
Recent Posts
Teach Me To Talk Testimonials
Happy Therapists, Teachers, Parents & Children
"I just want to thank you for the invaluable information you’ve given me in helping my grandson to talk (which I have passed on to his parents). We’ve ve learned patience, appropriate expectations, and fun and effective strategies that we had found no where else. He is exploding with conversation! Sometimes I struggle to interpret his articulation, but all I have to do is say, “Show me”, and he’s excited to do so. He and I both want so badly to communicate with each other, and your strategies have made it so much easier and non-threatening. Once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Stacey
"My little guy is taking off like a rocket!! We’ve been working through your Autism Workbook for a few months and he has had an explosion of skills develop. YOU are AMAZING! THANK YOU!" Laura Q, Mom
"Dear Laura Mize and Team,
Thank you so much for all your hard work and publishing books! Our 17-month-old toddler suddenly exploded into speaking and imitating everybody's gestures and sounds, just a week or two after we 'completed' all activities that are listed under 11 pre-linguistic skills! Your method really works!"
Grateful customer.
"Hi Laura!
I absolutely LOVE all of your workbooks, especially your Autism Workbook. Starting with Social Games has been a game changer for many of my littles with ASD and their families. It's been the best way for them to finally connect and sustain shared attention and engagement, leading to longer social interactions, through play!"
Jodie, Dev, Therapist
"Hi Ms. Laura,
Thank you so much for the videos you have posted on your youtube channel. They are so direct, informative, and helpful. Thank you for being a resource for me to become a better therapist."
Dianne
"Gosh, I love all of your emails/podcast/website, just everything!! I work in early intervention as a behavior analyst and am learning so much from you!"
Thank you!
Hailey
"Laura,
I love your work! I am a professor of early childhood special education and a speech language pathologist! I have worked to help children learn to communicate and I know how valuable the information you share is for both early interventionists and pediatric speech language pathologists!
Thank you for systematically organizing and explaining essential steps for young children to learn and develop. You are having a great impact on our profession, the ECE profession and families!"
Sincerely,
David
"Thank you.
If this is Laura herself reading this email let me take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have put forth for us professionals. I own every manual (except the autism manual) and have watched every course on DVD. I have listened to countless podcasts. All of what I’ve come to be as an Early Intervention speech therapist was absolutely to your credit. With your resources at my side I have never needed to scramble for answers and strategies and above all the clear language I use when communicating with parents. My fun, animated affect and key phrases I use have been learned through watching your example. So….thank you! May you be blessed."
Chaya
"I just wanted to thank you so much for your incredible help! You are so kind and lovely and every time I implement something you've taught in your manuals or videos it is always a success, I cannot thank you enough. I really appreciate how specific you are in giving us examples of wording to use and how to use a toy in therapy with your videos, it is exactly what I need to properly help my little students. I also really appreciate your list of books of list of toys. I have seen my little students make significant progress thanks to you. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos, taking more of your CEU's, and reading more of your materials. From the bottom of my heart: thank you so much again!!"
Lauren
Laura thank you so much. Btw, you have transformed my therapy- I have become such a competent and strong therapist after watching probably like 350 of your videos and podcasts over the past few years. And I am a seasoned therapist with almost 25 years experience. (Yes prob 350 episodes ha!) But there was still a lot I learned from you. I have such a thorough understanding of birth to 3 development and how to properly incorporate appropriate therapeutic goals, techniques and strategies now, thanks to you. Kelly
