Speech and language development is an exciting journey. Our children’s ‘firsts’ are often moments of celebration to be shared and remembered. Every milestone is special, but in a world where everything can feel like a race, it is natural for us to compare our kids with others. And this can cause worry and put pressure on ourselves to speed things along. But it is important to remember that every child develops at their own pace, and there is a wide range of what is considered typical.

Early stages of speech and language development
● Babbling and sounds (around 6-12months): Babies begin experimenting with
sounds and playing with their voices by cooing and babbling. This is the foundation of
speech development and it’s ok if it goes on for a while.
● First words (around 12 months): Many children start saying their first meaningful
words around this age. These might be words for favourite people, toys or pets and
of course the holy grail of first words – ‘mama’ and ‘dada!’
● Word growth (12-24 months): Vocabulary often begins to grow quickly during this
time, and we may hear two-word combinations such as “more juice” or “bye-bye
Daddy.”

Beyond the early stages
● Combining words (2-3 years): Sentences are becoming longer and the variety of
words being used increases. Grammatical mistakes are common and are a normal
part of learning e.g. using ‘goed’ instead of ‘went.’
● Asking questions and telling stories (3-4 years): At this stage children are
beginning to enjoy back and forth conversations, telling stories and asking lots of
‘why?’ questions.
● Clearer speech (4-5 years): Most children can express themselves clearly by the
time they start school, though they may still be working on several speech sounds.aragraph can be used as a starting point for writing your new blog post so feel free to edit it as needed, then continue to write and add more paragraphs as needed.

If you are reading this and worrying that your child isn’t following this projection in line with their age, don’t panic. Every child’s timeline is different and this is just a guide. Some children begin talking really early and seem to breeze through, while others take their time and can linger in the ‘stages’ for some time. Ultimately though, they may cross the finish line at different times but do end up at the same destination. What matters most is progress over time and not whether children are hitting milestones according to a schedule.

Some children may develop their speech and language skills a little differently, or they may need more time and some support to help them along. If you are concerned, reach out to your speech and language therapy service or health visitor. They can reassure you and point you in the right direction. If your child is taking their time, it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong. Some children focus on their physical skills before diving into the world of
words. Personality, siblings, temperament, environment – the list of factors impacting speech development is long – everyone’s brain is unique after all!

Supporting your child

● Talk and listen: Narrate and comment on what your child is doing and the world
around you. Sharing books and stories is such a wonderful way to practice language
and expose your child to words.
● Respond and expand: If your child says something like “car,” you can respond with
“Yes, a fast car!” This helps them to add to their vocabulary and hear how we use
language, which is equally, if not more important, than saying individual words.
● Celebrate: Every communication attempt is worth celebrating whether it is a word,
gesture or sound.

Gestalt language processing (GLP)
Some children do not follow the stages above because they are learning and processing language in a different way – I’m talking about gestalt language processing, which sounds very different to the more typical language development that we have explored today.

Instead of starting with single words, these children often begin using memorised chunks of language or phrases. Over time, they will learn to break down these scripts or phrases into their own self-generated language. This way of learning is completely valid, it’s just a different route to communication.

If you notice your child is doing any of the following, you may be nurturing a GLP:
● Repeating full phrases from TV shows, songs and books
● Using ‘scripts’ in play and daily routines
● Copying the tone and melody of language they have heard before
● Mixing memorised phrases with their own words
● Communication that sounds less like single words but more like ‘chunks’ of language

However your child is learning language and whatever stage they are at, the best thing you can do for them right now is join them on their journey; encourage, listen, praise, and celebrate everything about them that you love!

1. My child isn’t talking as much as other children their age, should I be worried?

Every child develops at their own pace, and are at their own stage of development for a variety of reasons. There are so many apps out there to ‘track’ progress. Don’t get me wrong, they can be great of course, but also anxiety inducing, especially if your child isn’t where the app says they should be! 

There are, however, general speech, language and communication milestones that we look for. If your child isn’t meeting these milestones, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is something wrong. We often find that making small changes in the way we communicate with our children can make a big difference to their development. For example, we naturally ask children lots of questions but changing these to comments can be really effective for language development e.g. instead of ‘what is that?’ we can say ‘wow, it’s a tall giraffe.’ Early assessment can help you understand what is going on and how you can help. 

2. Will they grow out of it – do I need to do anything now or shall we wait and see?

Early support can be the most effective. There are lots of tools and strategies that we can give you to try at home. Sometimes, this is enough. If your child is older, don’t panic. It is never too late to start supporting your child with their language and communication skills. 

3. Is it my fault?

Parents often ask me this – are they not talking to their child enough, did they do something wrong? Absolutely not. Speech and language delays happen for a number of reasons – hearing issues, genetics or just individual differences in development. Sometimes there is no apparent explanation! You’re already doing the right thing by exploring this topic. The focus is always on what we can do now, and how we can promote a positive communication environment for your child. 

4. What does therapy look like? 

A lot of the time it looks like play! This is how children learn language best. Even when we are working on speech sounds, we aim for a play based interest-led approach. If your child is into dinosaurs then that’s what we use, we want to engage and motivate them, not put them off! I find that many kids benefit from having a choice of activities and the way we do things. The session is theirs after all! Confidence underpins everything in my opinion. When we promote this and help it blossom, we see progress. 

These are the kids who might quote whole YouTube clips, TV shows, stories, songs and conversations they have previously heard. It so often feels that what they are saying doesn’t fit the moment, but here’s the thing. They really are communicating, using what language they have got to connect with you. We love that. 

When we ask parents, “Have you heard of gestalt language processing?”We often get a blank look until we describe it. And suddenly things make sense – “Yes, that’s my child!” Next comes a huge sense of relief, because now there is a why. And with that understanding comes so much more compassion, clarity and direction. Now we know what to do. 

There is so much joy in working with GLPs. Their creativity, their spark, their unique way of seeing the world. When you learn to tune in differently, to really listen and understand the meaning behind the scripts, is when you hear what they are trying to say. And that’s when the connection happens. Like magic. It can change everything. 

If we are being honest, it can also be really tough. Especially for older children. These kids want to connect. They want to make friends, join in conversations, and tell jokes. They want to tell you how they are feeling or about something that has happened to them. They yearn to be a part of a world they find so hard to fit into. But they can’t quite piece together the words that they need to do this. So they rely on scripts. Scripts that are comforting and familiar – but often don’t make sense to others. This is where the frustration creeps in – for them and for us. 

We see what they are trying to do and we feel how much they want to be heard. So what must we do? Meet them where they are. Sometimes we can figure out what they are trying to say. Sometimes we can’t. But we stay with them. We may not understand the words, but we understand the intent and that is to be heard and to connect. We sit in their world, no pressure, just presence. No rushing, no correcting. We’ve seen the powerful impact that this form of acceptance can have. 

As a team, we have been determined to learn all we can about GLP, investing considerable time in ensuring we understand how to support you. We want our families and settings to trust that we know how to identify when your child is a GLP, and promote your understanding of it. The best bit is when we get to put our knowledge into practice and join you and your child on their journey to self-generated language. 

So we will continue to advocate for all those little and not so little people that are not yet seen and heard as they should be. Gestalt language processing is natural and beautiful. It’s a unique path to communication. But my goodness, it can be a hard one. 

So to all our GLPs – we see you, we hear you. And to our GLP parents, thank you for your endless love, acceptance, trust and hard work. 

If you would like to learn more about Gestalt Language Processing and how you can help your child we have an upcoming online training with Zoe on 30th July at 1:00. We would love to support you on your journey. Please contact us to book your place.