Speech development in children

Children develop language at different rates, even within the same family. Most children still follow a similar pattern as they learn to talk and understand language. There are common milestones (Opens in new tab) that can help guide what to expect.

For children, hearing more than one language at home does not cause speech or language delays.

Babies need to learn how language sounds before they can learn how to speak (Opens in new tab).

Children develop at their own pace, but most follow a similar pattern:

• 1 to 4 months: babies cry and make cooing sounds.
• 4 to 8 months of age: babies babble and copy sounds.
• Around 12 months: babies often say their first words, such as 'mama' or 'dada'.
• 18 months to 2 years: children use about 50 words and will start linking 2 words together.
• 2 to 3 years: children use short sentences of 2 or 3 words, and can name common objects. They also start using words like 'I', 'me', 'he' and 'she'.
• 3 to 5 years: conversations become longer and more complex.
• By 5 years: children usually speak in full sentences and ask lots of 'why?', 'what?' and 'who?' questions.

You can help your baby's speech and language development in many simple ways:

• Talk, make faces and use sounds with your baby from birth.
• Play games such as peek-a-boo and sing nursery rhymes.
• Look at picture books together from an early age — you don't need to read the words, just talk about what you can see.
• Speak slowly and clearly so your child can learn to copy you.
• Let your child lead the conversation and build on what they say.
• Give your child plenty of chances to talk, and allow time for them to answer.

Things to try to avoid:

• Avoid testing your child, for example by asking 'what's this?' Children learn better without pressure.
• Don't criticise your child if they can't say a word yet. Instead, repeat the word correctly. For example, if your baby points to a cat and says 'ca', you can say: 'Yes, it's a cat'.
• Limit screen time (Opens in new tab) and follow recommended guidelines so your child has plenty of time to talk and interact with family and friends.

To learn to speak clearly, children need to be able to hear sounds properly. Hearing loss (Opens in new tab) in babies and toddlers can delay speech development and affect learning and social skills.

Common causes of hearing problems in young children include repeated middle ear infections and 'glue ear'. These are treatable conditions. When treated early, they usually do not cause permanent hearing loss or speech delays.

If your child has frequent middle ear infections or 'glue ear', your GP or paediatrician may refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.

See your doctor or child health nurse in these situations:

• By 12 months, your child is not trying to communicate with you (using sounds, gestures or words), especially when they want something or need help.
• By 2 years, your child is not saying about 50 words or hasn't started putting words together into short sentences.

Some conditions, such as tongue-tie, may affect a child's speech and make it harder to talk. There is not enough clear evidence to show that tongue-tie causes speech problems, and research is still ongoing.

If you are worried about your child's speech development, ask your doctor for a referral to a speech pathologist (therapist) and to have their hearing checked by an audiologist.

• Learn more about your child's language and speech development (Opens in new tab) on Pregnancy, Birth and Baby.
• For more information about normal speech development, communication milestones (Opens in new tab), and how to encourage speech development in your child, see the Speech Pathology Australia (Opens in new tab) website.
• The NSW Government provides a brief guide on language development (Opens in new tab) and an Early Communication for babies and young children (Opens in new tab) information booklet.
• The Royal Children's Hospital has tips to encourage language development (Opens in new tab) and information about ear infections and 'glue ear' (Opens in new tab).
• Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call (Opens in new tab). Available 7 am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week (including public holidays).