About the service

Speech and language therapists work in partnership with children, their families and other professionals in a variety of friendly setting including;

  • Family Hubs: Every Starting Well Partnership Family Hub has a named speech and language therapist.
  • Child development centres: Speech and language therapists are part of the team
  • Schools: Every mainstream school has a named speech and language therapist who visits.

Are you worried about your toddler's talking?

Dad and toddler 

Are you worried your toddler isn't talking very much yet?

Different children learn to talk at different rates, however some children find learning to talk more challenging. Adults can help them by using some of the following strategies.

6 strategies for toddler talk

Reduce distractions Children learn language best against a background of silence. Although this may not always be possible try to limit noise when playing and talking with your child. Too many toys at any one time can be distracting. Choose a few different toys for the day and encourage your child to play with these. You can change the toys the following day
Follow their lead Let your child choose the toy or activity and lead the play. Your job is to follow their lead. You will find that they probably stay with it longer and your language will be more meaningful to them. Watch carefully to see what your child is actually doing and copy their action or sound.
More comments than questions Try not to ask unnecessary questions. Only ask questions you really don’t know the answer to rather than questions that ‘test’ such as ‘what’s this?’ This can make your child feel under pressure to answer. Remember to wait and look at what your child is doing with the toys. Then comment using very simple language to match what your child is looking at or playing with eg. ‘bricks…more... bricks…building a tower…up up…oh crash!
Keep it simple Even if you know your child understands it is important that they hear a simple model of language. Listen to what they are using and use this as your guide.  If your child is only using a few single words only use single words and two word phrases when playing yourself.
Use pauses Allow your child time. If you speak to them allow them time to respond before you speak again. Try silently counting to 10 before you speak.
Add a word Show them how to put words together. When your child attempts a word, repeat it but add another word to show them how words link together eg.’car’ becomes ‘car driving’ or ‘mummy’s car’. If they use two words together repeat and add another one to make a 3 word phrase.

  Remember...... Don’t feel pressurised, communication should be FUN!

       

Download our guide to helping your child with talking here  and 54 ideas to Get Worcestershire Talking here 

Helping your child's talking      54 ideas      

Should I be worried?

Check how your child is doing using the tools below:

Download our typical development 0 - 18 months poster here and 18 months - 3 years here

Identification poster 0-18 months   Idenitification poster       

Typical speech sound development:

Average speech sounds

 

You can access ICAN's online progress checker here

Progress checker

 

The BBC's Tiny Happy People website has lots of useful ideas for parents. You can access it here

Tiny Happy People

 

Watch these strategies in action in the videos below:

 

Speech & Language Drop ins

Drop in poster

 

Drop in timetable

 

Download a drop in timetable  here 

 

 

If you have any questions about drop in sessions, please email us using the email addresses below: 

 

WHCNHS.SLTBromsgrove@nhs.net – Wychavon, Redditch, and Bromsgrove

WHCNHS.SLTWyreforest@nhs.net – Worcester, Wyre Forest, and Malvern