My child is not talking yet: what should parents check before choosing the next step?

Pinnacle Blooms Network team here. This post was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked public guidance. It is general information, not an individual assessment or diagnosis.

“Not talking yet” can mean different things for different children. Before comparing therapies or centres, write down what your child already does to communicate:

• looks, points, reaches or uses gestures

• understands familiar words or simple directions

• makes sounds, uses single words or combines words

• starts an interaction or responds when someone speaks

• communicates similarly across home, school and other familiar places

• uses every language spoken in the family

This gives the professional a clearer starting point than a label alone.

QUESTIONS TO ASK AT THE FIRST APPOINTMENT

1. Are we looking at speech sounds, understanding language, expressing language, social communication, hearing, or a combination?

2. Is a hearing check needed? Hearing screening is part of a comprehensive communication assessment when it has not already been completed.

3. If our child uses more than one language, how will every language be considered? A multilingual child should not be judged only through one language.

4. What can our child do now, and what is the first practical goal?

5. What can we practise naturally during meals, play, dressing, travel and story time?

6. How will progress be tracked, and when will the plan be reviewed or changed?

7. How will we know whether a new skill is appearing outside the therapy room?

Developmental milestone checklists can help families organise observations and start a conversation. They are not diagnostic tools and do not replace validated developmental screening or a professional assessment. Children also develop at different rates, so a single Reddit comment cannot determine whether a child has a disorder.

If you are concerned, share your observations with a qualified child-development or communication professional rather than waiting for certainty from social media. The useful goal is clarity: what the child can do now, what needs closer assessment, what the family can practise in everyday life, and when progress will be reviewed.

Sources:

CDC, milestones by 2 years:

https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/2-years.html

CDC, how milestone checklists should be used:

https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/key-points.html

ASHA, communication milestones from 19 to 24 months:

https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-19-to-24-months/

ASHA, late language emergence:

https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Late-Language-Emergence/

For Pinnacle locations and current appointment information, use the pinned AP/Telangana centre guide in this community and confirm the exact branch before travelling.