Delay in Learning to Speak Not Dangerous for Toddlers

Scientists have recently determined that toddlers who learn to speak later than usual are not necessarily at higher risk of suffering from behavioral or emotional problems than their peers who learn how to speak at a younger age.

Previous studies indicated that late speakers tended to suffer from such disorders later on in childhood. But experts from the University of Western Australia could establish no such correlation in their work.

A slight difference in bad behavior levels can be noticed in toddlers aged 2. Those who speak less than their peers exhibit more such behavior, on average, but this difference subsides starting at age 5, all the way to age 17.

At those ages, there is no way to distinguish between the two groups, even using the most rigorous statistical methods. Beyond 5, all toddlers exhibit similar emotional and behavioral patterns. Details of the work appear in the July 4 issue of the esteemed medical journal Pediatrics.

“It appears that late-talking in itself is not a risk factor for later behavioral and emotional problems,” UWA study researcher Andrew Whitehouse explains, in an email to LiveScience.

“However, we have good evidence that if language problems persist to the school-aged years, then these children are at increased risk of psychiatric difficulties,” the team leader goes on to say. A “wait-and-see” approach may be best for parents of children who do not speak early on.

During the research, the investigators analyzed the evolution of children born in Perth, Australia, for two years between 1989 and 1991. All test participants were surveyed at the age of 2, and then at the ages of 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17.

“We suggest that the behavioral and emotional problems identified at age 2 years are due to the psychosocial difficulties of not being able to communicate (e.g., frustration),” Whitehouse explains.

“However, when the late-talking children 'catch-up' to normal language milestones – which they do for the majority of children – the behavioral and emotional problems are no longer apparent,” she adds.

In future studies, the researches plan to conduct a number of follow-up investigation, meant to assess whether kids who began to speak later on are at higher risk of persistent language problems later on in life. The work may even cover the adult years of people in the study group.

“The best thing that parents can do is provide a rich language-learning environment for their children. This means getting down on the floor and playing with their child, talking with them, reading to them, interacting with them at their level,” Whitehouse concludes.