Ten Myths and Truths About Early Language Development

1. Educational products like flash cards, DVDs, and apps stimulate young children’s language development.

MYTH. While it can be tempting to purchase special products marketed as “educational” for kids, these products are not necessarily effective in helping children learn how to communicate. Young children learn best from natural interactions and experiences.

2. Siblings of speech disordered children are more likely to develop a speech disorder.

MYTH. Siblings of a child with a speech disorder are no more likely to develop a speech disorder themselves. Children hear many people speaking around them on a regular basis, including parents, teachers, daycare workers, and strangers in public. There are many more positive influences on a child’s language development than negative influences.

3. You should never use “baby talk” with babies.

MYTH. Baby talk, also known as “motherese”, “parentese” or “infant-directed speech”, refers to the speech patterns people use when speaking to babies: higher-than-normal and more varied pitch, slower rate, simpler vocabulary, lots of repetition, emphasis on important words, and exaggerated facial expressions. Babies prefer “baby talk” as it helps them pay closer attention to speech, especially amidst background noise. This makes it easier for babies to figure out which words are most important to the meaning of what’s being said.

4. More boys have language delays than girls.

TRUTH. Boys are two to three times as likely to have some sort of language impairment. The incidence of Autism in boys is also higher, four times more common in boys than girls.

5. Twins are at greater risk for language delay.

TRUTH. Twins (especially male twins) have a higher risk or language delay, although it is usually mild and often reduces by middle school.

6. Bilingualism can cause language delays in young children.

MYTH. Children learning two languages at the same time follow the same developmental patterns in both of their languages and at roughly the same time as children learning one language. Sometimes young children learning two languages mix vocabulary or grammar from their two languages, known as “code switching”. This is normal and does not indicate a language disorder. There may actually be benefits from bilingual language learning, as children who are fluent in two languages have strengths in “metalinguistic skills” (the ability to think about language), as well as in cognitive skills, such as attention.

7. Boys talk later than girls.

TRUTH. There is a normal range within which children acquire certain language milestones. On average, boys produce their first words and sentences later than girls, but only by a matter of a few months. As they are still in the average range, boys are not actually delayed in their language development, just a little behind girls.

8. Second or third born children tend to talk later because their older siblings talk for them.

MYTH. While older siblings often interrupt and talk for their younger siblings, this does not seem to have a negative impact on the younger sibling’s development. Several studies have shown that the language development and skills of first-born and later-born children are similar (some even show superior language skills in the younger siblings).

9. Late talkers who are otherwise typically developing always “catch up” to their peers.

MYTH. Research indicates that approximately 40–50% of children who are late to talk do not catch up on their own. Even when late talkers appear to catch up to other children their age, they are still at greater risk for difficulties with reading down the road.

10. Children can’t be tested for language disorders until kindergarten.

MYTH. Even a child who is too young to talk can be tested for language disorders! If you are concerned about your baby’s language development, don’t listen to people who tell you to “wait and see”. Consult a speech language pathologist: the earlier a child receives help, the easier it is to catch up, and the better the prognosis.

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