10-Minute Speech Practice That Doesn't Require Sitting Still

Last updated 2026-07-10

Why does word selection matter so much for late talkers?

Not all words earn their place on a first list. The research is clear: children with expressive language delays make faster progress when early targets are chosen for functional value and personal relevance, not the order words appear in a commercial program or the ones adults find easiest to teach.

A study in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research found that late talkers who received intervention targeting words with high communicative value (words that actually changed what happened in the child's world) showed better expressive vocabulary gains than those getting generalized stimulation ^[1]. The mechanism makes sense. When a child says 'more' and immediately gets more crackers, language becomes worth the effort. When the word does nothing obvious, the motivation to repeat it drops off.

There's a practice angle too. An early word that comes up dozens of times a day across real moments gets laid down more durably than a word drilled in one daily session. So choosing words that naturally show up at snack, bath, and play matters more than most parents realize.

If your child's speech therapist hands you a target list, ask why each word is on it. A good answer sounds like this: 'She reaches toward the dog constantly, so we want a word that maps onto that.' A weak answer sounds like this: 'These are the first words most toddlers learn.' Both have some truth. The first one is doing more work for your specific child.

What are the first words most speech therapists recommend?

The classic framework comes from Lahey and Bloom's work on early semantic categories, and most practicing SLPs still organize early targets around these groupings ^[2].

Words that request or protest These pay off immediately. 'More,' 'no,' 'mine,' 'stop,' 'help,' 'up,' 'open.' A child who can say 'no' has gained real power over their world. Don't skip protest words because they feel oppositional. They're functional.

Names for people and pets 'Mama,' 'dada,' 'nana,' the dog's name. These tend to come out on their own, but they're worth targeting on purpose because they practice the motor patterns of speech in a context the child already cares about.

Names for favorite objects or actions Here is where you individualize. For one child it's 'ball.' For another it's 'iPad,' 'cookie,' 'truck,' or 'bath.' The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) says early intervention should be child-centered and that target words should reflect the child's individual interests and daily routines ^[3].

Greetings 'Hi' and 'bye' belong on an early list because the whole environment rewards them. Every adult the child meets answers these words with a warm social response, which is a strong pull.

A common target list for an 18 to 24 month late talker looks like this: more, no, help, up, go, mama, dada, the name of a favorite toy or food, hi, and bye. Ten words. Not fifty. Research on the vocabulary spurt (the rapid word-learning phase that usually follows once a child hits about 50 words) suggests that reaching those first 10 to 15 solid, flexible words is the bridge to faster growth ^[4].

How many words should a late talker know at different ages?

Before you set targets, know where typical development sits. These benchmarks come from the American Academy of Pediatrics and ASHA developmental norms ^[3][5]:

• By 12 months: 1 to 3 words (not counting 'mama' and 'dada' used generically)
• By 18 months: about 10 words
• By 24 months: about 50 words, plus beginning to combine two words ('more milk,' 'daddy go')
• By 36 months: 200 to 1,000 words (the range is wide), using 3-word phrases

A child is generally called a 'late talker' with fewer than 10 words at 18 months, or fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations at 24 months ^[5]. Most late talkers do catch up by age 5, but that number hides a lot: kids who catch up with support and kids who catch up without it are both counted, and early intervention consistently improves outcomes ^[6].

These benchmarks aren't meant to scare you. They give you a starting line. If your child has 5 words at 24 months, you're not chasing 200 words. You're working toward 15 to 20 flexible, functional words, which then seeds faster growth.

What does 'functional' actually mean for a first word?

The word gets tossed around in SLP offices, so let's pin it down. A word is functional when three things are true:

1. Using it changes something in the child's environment. 2. The child has several real chances to use it every day without you staging a fake situation. 3. It works across at least two settings, not only during therapy.

'More' is the classic example. A child who says 'more' at snack gets more food. At the park, 'more' gets more pushes on the swing. During a tickle game, 'more' gets more tickles. The word travels across dozens of daily moments, and every one of them rewards it naturally.

Compare that with 'elephant.' Great word. Fun to say. Some kids grab it happily. But how often does a toddler need to talk about elephants? The word has low functional density in most homes.

Here's a quick test. Before adding a word to the list, ask how many times on a typical Tuesday that word would genuinely help. Fewer than five, and it probably isn't a first-ten candidate. Save it for after the core functional words are in.

Should late talkers learn nouns or verbs first?

Parents default to nouns because they're easy to point to and name. 'Ball.' 'Cup.' 'Dog.' Nouns are a fine start. But the research makes a strong case for mixing in verbs and action words faster than most people do.

An analysis in First Language found that early verb knowledge was a significant predictor of later grammatical development, partly because verbs carry the structural frame of a sentence: they signal how many participants an action involves and how those participants relate ^[7]. Children who only have nouns can't combine words meaningfully yet. 'Ball' plus 'ball' isn't a sentence. But 'throw' plus 'ball,' or 'more' plus 'juice,' is.

So aim for a mix from the start. For every two or three nouns, add one action word or modifier. 'Go,' 'stop,' 'up,' 'down,' 'more,' 'all done,' 'open,' and 'help' are early action words with simple sound patterns and high daily use.

If your child is late to talk and also shows signs of motor speech difficulty, the strategy shifts. Motor speech disorders like childhood apraxia of speech affect which sound combinations a child can produce early, and an SLP who specializes in that area targets words whose sound patterns the child can actually make, more than the most functional words on paper ^[8].

How do you actually teach a late talker a new word at home?

Knowing which words to target is half the job. The other half is building conditions where the learning sticks. Three strategies have the strongest research support for late talkers: focused stimulation, expectant waiting, and aided language input.

Focused stimulation means feeding a target word many times in a natural context without demanding the child say it back. You say 'more' 15 times during snack (while handing over banana pieces, while offering more, while pausing and looking expectant) with no requirement to repeat. The exposure builds the word. Pushing for imitation too early can actually reduce spontaneous word use in some children.

Expectant waiting is exactly what it sounds like. You set up a moment where the child wants something, you look at them with a warm, expectant face, and you wait 5 to 10 seconds before offering the word yourself. That pause gives the child room to try before you fill the silence.

Aided language input (ALI), sometimes called augmented input, means pointing to a symbol, picture, or AAC icon while you say the word. You're modeling language in two channels at once. ASHA supports ALI as a strategy that helps both verbal and nonverbal children because it makes the language system visible ^[3]. If your child's SLP has recommended an AAC device, using it yourself during ordinary interactions is one of the highest-payoff things you can do.

One thing to avoid: quizzing. Asking 'what's that?' over and over is testing, not teaching. It raises the stakes and breeds anxiety without building vocabulary. Narrate, model, pause, wait. That sequence does more.

Does a late talker need an official word list from a speech therapist?

Ideally, yes. A licensed SLP builds individualized targets, and that's the gold standard. A real evaluation looks at the child's current vocabulary, the sounds they can produce, their comprehension, and the shape of their daily life, then produces a target list reflecting all of it. The earlier this happens, the better the outcomes, and early intervention services in the U.S. are federally mandated through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children under age 3 ^[9].

But SLP access is genuinely hard for many families. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 160,000 employed SLPs in 2022, against a far larger population of children with communication delays ^[10]. Waitlists run 3 to 6 months in many areas. Rural families often have less access than that.

In that gap, there's plenty a parent can do today. Start with the functional word framework above. Watch which words your child is already attempting or gesturing toward, and target those. Read ASHA's public guidance on late talking, free at ASHA.org ^[3]. Look into online speech therapy, which has grown a lot in availability and research support since 2020.

Tools like the Little Words app give parents structured vocabulary targeting at home and help identify and practice high-frequency words between sessions. It's not a substitute for an SLP evaluation. It's a real option while you wait or supplement.

If your child is 18 to 24 months and showing delays, don't sit on it for six months to see if they 'grow out of it.' The 'wait and see' approach is well-meaning, but the evidence does not support it as a default for children with clear expressive language delays ^[6].

Are first words different for autistic late talkers?

This question deserves a straight answer, not a vague 'every child is different.'

Autistic children who are late talkers benefit from the same core principles (functional words, high daily frequency, child-led interest) with a few adjustments in how words are taught and what counts as motivating.

Social words like 'hi' and 'bye' may pull less for some autistic children than for neurotypical late talkers. You don't skip them. You might rank them below words tied to highly preferred activities or objects. A child who is deeply into spinning tops and lining up trains has obvious vocabulary candidates that a neurotypical child's list might never include.

Some autistic children communicate early through echolalia, repeating phrases they've heard rather than generating single words. It can look like the child isn't learning 'real' words, but echolalia often serves real communicative functions and can bridge to intentional word use with the right support ^[11]. Treating it as noise misses what the child is already doing.

AAC is appropriate and evidence-based for autistic children who are minimally verbal or whose speech output is inconsistent. No research supports the idea that introducing AAC delays speech. The evidence points the other way. For more, see autism spectrum speech therapy.

ASHA's guidance on autism intervention centers functional communication over speech production, which means targeting words or symbols the child can actually use to get wants, needs, and ideas across ^[3].

What if a late talker refuses to say words they already know?

Parents report this all the time: the child said a word once or twice, then stopped. Or they clearly understand a word (they respond to it) but won't produce it. This is different from never learning the word at all.

A few things cause it. Pressure and testing are common culprits. When adults meet a first word with huge excitement (natural, understandable), some children find the reaction overwhelming, or feel the bar just jumped. The word gets tangled up with high-stakes performance instead of easy communication.

For some children, inconsistent production is a motor speech issue, not a vocabulary or motivation one. Apraxia of speech involves inconsistent sound production precisely because the motor planning system is unreliable. A child with apraxia might say 'more' clearly on Tuesday and be unable to produce it on Wednesday, not from refusal but because the motor program isn't stable yet ^[8].

For other children, what looks like refusal is selectiveness. They'll use the word on their own terms, in contexts that feel safe, but not on command. That's actually a good sign. The word is in the system. The move is to lower demand pressure and raise natural opportunities.

So back off the drilling. Model the word more in low-stakes moments. Watch for spontaneous attempts and celebrate them quietly. For children who find intense social responses dysregulating, a small smile and carrying on with the activity beats big praise.

How long does it take for a late talker to start using new words?

Nobody has clean data on this, and anyone who gives you a precise timeline without knowing your child is guessing. Here's what the research gets close to: intervention studies on toddler late talkers typically show measurable expressive vocabulary gains within 8 to 16 weeks of targeted work, with some reporting significant gains in as few as 6 weeks ^[1][6].

But 'measurable gains' in a study usually means a statistically significant group-level change. Individual kids vary hugely. Some children explode into words after a few weeks of focused practice. Others collect words slowly over many months before a spurt. The fastest movers tend to share a few traits: strong receptive language (they understand far more than they say), active attempts to communicate through gesture or vocalization even without words yet, and a home doing plenty of the focused stimulation and expectant waiting described above.

If you've targeted specific words for more than 2 to 3 months with daily practice and see no movement at all, raise it with an SLP. The targets may need adjusting, the teaching may need to shift, or a fuller evaluation for hearing loss, motor speech disorder, or developmental differences is warranted. A baseline hearing test is genuinely the first thing to rule out. Hearing loss is present in about 15% of children with speech-language delays ^[5].

What's the single most important thing to do after reading this?

Pick three words. Not thirty. Not ten. Three.

Look at your child's day today. What did they want and couldn't ask for? What did they try to communicate and get frustrated about? What do they reach for, point at, or gesture toward? Those are your first targets.

Write them down. Find five natural moments a day to model each one. Don't quiz. Don't demand. Model, pause, wait. Do that consistently for two to three weeks before you change anything.

If you haven't had a formal evaluation, request one. In the U.S., parents of children under 3 can call their state's early intervention program directly and ask for an evaluation at no cost under IDEA ^[9]. For children 3 and older, the local school district is the entry point. Both routes are parent-initiated. You do not need a pediatrician's referral to call early intervention, though a pediatrician can speed the referral along.

If you want a structured way to track and practice targets between sessions, the Little Words app was built for exactly this: it helps parents find high-frequency targets and practice them through daily routines. You can start with a short quiz to see which words match your child's stage.

Language development isn't a race. But there are windows where support matters most, and acting on a concern almost always beats waiting.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important first words for a 2-year-old late talker?

Prioritize words that do work: 'more,' 'help,' 'no,' 'up,' 'go,' and the names of favorite people and objects. ASHA supports targeting words tied to the child's daily routines and personal interests over preset lists. Aim for 8 to 12 solid, flexible words first, then build. At this stage, real-world use matters more than quantity.

Should I teach my late talker nouns first or verbs?

A mix from the start beats nouns alone. Action words like 'go,' 'up,' 'open,' 'help,' and 'more' come up often and let two-word combinations happen sooner. A First Language study found early verb knowledge predicts later grammatical development. Aim for roughly two or three nouns for every action word or social phrase on your list.

How do I know which words to target for my specific child?

Watch what your child already tries to communicate about: what they reach for, point to, gesture toward, or get frustrated about. A word is a good target if it would help at least five times on a typical day and gives the child real power to change what happens around them. An SLP can turn this into an individualized list after a full evaluation.

Is it okay to use pictures or AAC to teach first words?

Yes, and the evidence backs it. Using pictures, symbols, or AAC alongside spoken words (aided language input) models language in two channels at once. Multiple studies show introducing AAC does not delay speech and can increase verbal output in late talkers, including autistic children. ASHA endorses AAC as appropriate for children of any age.

My child said a word once and then stopped. What happened?

Common, and usually the word is in the system but not yet stable or not triggered by the right conditions. It can also reflect motor speech inconsistency, as in childhood apraxia, where the motor program isn't automatic yet. Reduce demand pressure, model the word more without requiring a response, and watch for spontaneous attempts to reinforce quietly.

At what age should I be concerned about a late talker?

ASHA and the AAP recommend evaluation for fewer than 10 words at 18 months, fewer than 50 words or no two-word combinations at 24 months, or parent concern at any age. Under IDEA, children under 3 are entitled to a free evaluation through state early intervention programs. You don't need a pediatrician referral to request one.

How often should I practice target words with my late talker?

Daily, across multiple natural contexts, beats a single 15-minute session. Aim to model each target 10 to 20 times a day inside real activities: snack, bath, play. Research on focused stimulation shows high-frequency exposure in natural routines, without pressure to respond, produces stronger vocabulary gains than structured drill sessions.

Do late talkers catch up on their own without therapy?

Some do. Most late talkers have typical language by school age, but that figure includes children who received intervention. The 'wait and see' approach is not supported by current evidence as a default. Children who get early intervention consistently show better outcomes than those who wait, and there's no documented downside to starting support early.

Are first word targets different for an autistic child than a neurotypical late talker?

The core principles hold: functional, high-frequency, tied to the child's interests. For autistic children, highly preferred objects or activities often drive word choices more than social words like 'hi.' Echolalia, common in autistic late talkers, can serve real communicative functions and may bridge to intentional word use with the right support rather than being discouraged.

How many words should my child learn before starting to combine them?

Most children begin combining two words around the time vocabulary reaches 50 words, though this varies. If a child has 50 single words but no combinations by 24 months, that's a reason to target two-word phrases directly. Early combinations mirror the targets: 'more milk,' 'daddy go,' 'help me,' 'all done.' Two-word combinations predict later language better than single-word count alone.

What role does hearing play in late talking?

A big one. Hearing loss is present in about 15% of children with speech-language delays, per AAP data. A baseline hearing evaluation should be one of the first steps when any speech or language concern arises. Undetected mild or fluctuating hearing loss (common with recurrent ear infections) can affect word learning even when a child seems to 'hear fine' day to day.

Can I use a word list from the internet for my late talker?

Generic lists are a reasonable start when professional access is limited, but they work best filtered through your child's specific interests and daily life. The best-supported early categories are requests, protests, names for favorite people and objects, and social greetings. Any word you add should pass the 'useful five times today' test before making the short list.

Does bilingual or multilingual exposure make late talking worse?

No. Bilingual children may spread vocabulary across two languages, so comparing single-language word counts to monolingual norms isn't valid. ASHA states that language delays in bilingual children are not caused by exposure to multiple languages, and that bilingual children should be evaluated across both languages. Telling families to drop a home language is not supported by evidence.

Sources

1. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research: Girolametto et al., 2007: Late talkers who received intervention targeting high communicative-value words showed better expressive vocabulary gains than those receiving generalized stimulation.
2. Lahey, M. (1988). Language Disorders and Language Development. Macmillan. (Lahey-Bloom semantic categories framework): Early vocabulary targets organized around semantic categories: requests, protests, names for people, names for objects and actions, social words.
3. ASHA: Late Language Emergence (Practice Portal): ASHA states that early intervention should be child-centered, that target words should reflect the child's individual interests and daily routines, and that aided language input benefits both verbal and nonverbal children.
4. ASHA: Typical and Atypical Language Development: Vocabulary spurt typically follows once a child reaches approximately 50 words; getting to the first 10-15 solid, flexible words is the bridge to faster growth.
5. American Academy of Pediatrics: Language Delays in Toddlers: A child is considered a late talker if they have fewer than 10 words at 18 months or fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations at 24 months; hearing loss is present in approximately 15% of children with speech-language delays.
6. Law et al., 2004, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Speech and language therapy for children with primary speech and language delay or disorder: Early intervention consistently improves outcomes for late talkers; the 'wait and see' approach is not supported as a default strategy; measurable vocabulary gains appear within 8-16 weeks of targeted intervention.
7. First Language, 2013: Early verb knowledge as predictor of grammatical development: Early verb knowledge was a significant predictor of later grammatical development in toddlers.
8. ASHA: Childhood Apraxia of Speech (Practice Portal): Apraxia of speech involves inconsistent sound production due to motor planning difficulty; word selection for children with CAS should account for achievable sound patterns.
9. U.S. Department of Education: IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C: Under IDEA Part C, early intervention services are federally mandated for children under age 3; parents can initiate an evaluation request directly without a physician referral.
10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Speech-Language Pathologists: The U.S. had approximately 160,000 employed speech-language pathologists as of 2022.
11. Prizant, B.M. & Duchan, J.F. (1981). The functions of immediate echolalia in autistic children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders.: Echolalia in autistic children often serves real communicative functions and can bridge to intentional word use with appropriate support.