Learning to talk

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The text for this topic is copyright Parenting SA, Government of South Australia.

Learning to talk is one of the most difficult and important steps that young children take. It helps them to make sense of the world, to ask for what they need and to be able to get on with other people. If you think about how difficult it is for adults to learn a different language you can get some idea of what it is like for an infant to learn to speak from having no language at all.

Language and speech, like other development, take place at different rates for different children.

Steps in learning to talk

The early months

Long before they can speak, babies are listening to their parents and carers. They begin to make little noises and sounds which come before speech. If parents and carers imitate these, it is as if they are talking to the baby. This is the beginning of your baby learning to talk.

By responding to your baby’s needs when she cries, you show that you have heard her and that she matters. This is the beginning of communication.

Eight to 12 months

• The early little noises turn into babbling for example, ‘Da-da-dada’ and ‘Ma-ma-ma-ma’.
• Babies are beginning to learn what some simple words mean even though they cannot say them, for example, ‘Mummy, Bottle, No’.
• There may be one or two single words.
• Babies wave ‘Bye-bye’ when asked.
• They obey simple requests such as ‘Give me the ball’.

12–18 months

• There is much babbling in the children’s own jargon.
• The first single words appear for example, ‘No, Dad, Dog’.
• Children can point to things that they know when they are asked to.
• Children know their own names and respond to them.

18 months to two years

• 18-month-olds can know and use six or more words. Two-year-olds may have 100 or more words. Many of the words may be unclear but the parent or carer can tell what is meant.
• Two-year-olds can say their name.
• They can ask for simple things that they need, for example, ‘Drink’.
• Children start to join words together, for example, ‘Daddy home’, ‘All gone’.
• They copy the last part of sentences.
• They try out different speech sounds and make mistakes.

Three to four years

• Children begin to ask ‘What?’ and ‘Why?’ questions.
• Use sentences with three or four words.
• They begin to separate the truth from make-believe.
• They can talk about ‘Yesterday, now and tomorrow’ and know what they mean.
• Their speech should be understandable most of the time.
• They are likely to talk to themselves as they do things.
• They can learn and join in simple rhymes and songs.

Four to five years

• Children learn to adjust their language to the situation they are in. For example, they talk differently to their parents than they do to their friends.
• They ask ‘When?’ questions.
• They can talk about imaginary situations, for example, ‘I hope … ’
• They still mix truth and make-believe.
• They like to tell stories.
• They can hold conversations with their friends and parents.
• They will be able to say their name, age and address if they have been taught this.
• Four-year-olds enjoy making up words for fun and using toilet words, for example, ‘Poo’, ‘Bum’.
• Their speech is clearer but they still may not be using ‘th’, ‘r’, ‘z’, ‘s’, and ‘v’.

What parents can do

• Talk to your baby right from birth and imitate her sounds.
• Name things and talk about what you are doing. Use simple words and sentences at first.
• Have conversations with your child at some stage every day.
• Listen with interest when your child is talking to you. Don’t interfere or correct your child’s speech.
• Answer questions simply and clearly.
• Allow your child time to get out what she wants to say.
• Talk about pictures in books, and name things in the pictures.
• Sing songs and read rhymes.
• Take your children to the local library and read some stories to them. Then you can borrow or buy the ones that they particularly enjoy.
• Give a younger child a chance to talk without being interrupted by older brothers and sisters.
• If your child is stumbling over words because he is excited suggest that he tell you slowly. Then listen to him carefully.
• Get down to eye level with your child when teaching a new word so he can see your lips and hear the word clearly.
• For children with a severe hearing loss, it is most important that their hearing loss is recognised before six months of age.

Be concerned if your child:

• does not react to loud noises by the time she is one month old
• does not turn her head to a noise or voice by three months of age. Hearing problems often cause speech difficulties
• does not start to make single sounds, for example, ‘Ba ba’ by eight or nine months
• does not babble or make other sounds when someone talks to her by 12 months
• is not starting to say single words by 12 months
• does not understand simple instructions by two years
• frequently repeats sounds or part-words, for example, ‘Wh-wh-where’s my ba-ba-ball?’
• lengthens sounds or gets stuck on words, for example, ‘M-m-m-m’ or ‘Da-a-a-a-ad’
• is embarrassed or worried when speaking.

If you have any concerns at any stage about your child’s speech, talk to your local child health nurse or your doctor. Your child may need to see a speech pathologist (through local community health centres, hospitals that provide services for children, or privately).

Reminders

Want more information?

Maternal & Child Health www.health.act.gov.au 6207 9977  
(If you have any concerns at any stage about your child’s speech, talk to your local nurse or doctor. Your child may need to see a speech pathologist).

See other ParentLink guides

• Milestones (0–4 years)
• More than reading and writing
• Growing and learning in the family
• Why stories are important
• Right from the start
• Living with babies

ACT Govt Publication No 08/0691 September 2008