Factors to consider why a child may not be talking
There are many factors that may contribute to why children don’t talk, therefore, it is important that practitioners are aware of these factors and shouldn’t measure children’s development against others. All children should be treated as individuals and if practitioners have a concern over a child’s language development then advice should be sought from relevant professionals.
Children may not talk for many reasons, finding the underlying issue can sometimes be simple or sometimes several observations need completing to help professionals identify the additional support needed.
Reasons why children may not talk or be quiet
- Children may still be developing their language skills and don’t have the sounds and words to use to communicate with.
- Children may be reserved or shy and don’t feel comfortable in talking to unfamiliar adults.
- Children who have low self-esteem or confidence don’t feel good about themselves causing them to not to talk or be quiet
- When children with English as an additional language learn a new spoken language this may sometimes cause them to be quiet.
What can childcare practitioners do to help?
- Don’t pressure children into talking during situations as this can make them feel anxious.
- If children are quiet or not talking use other ways of communicating eg gestures and eye contact.
- Use pictures and Symbols to help communicate with children this will help build their confidence and trust.
- Approach parents to see if children are like this at home
- Carry out several observations in different situations and evaluate your findings
- With parental consent make a referral to a speech and language theorist for further help and advice.
More ideas on how to support children’s language development on Pinterest
Early intervention is crucial in supporting children who are not talking as this will help them get the early support. For children who have more complex needs this may mean accessing further specialist support from other professionals in order to help them begin talking. It is important to remember that children are unique and progress at different rates, therefore, some children may talk before others but eventually they will begin talking later on.