Toddler not talking much yet?

All tamariki develop communication in their own way and in their own time. If you or your whānau are worried that your tamaiti isn’t talking as much as you’d expect, it's useful to have access to information and know what you can do at home. 

As whānau, we all deserve access to support and information for our tamariki around communication. The reality is, it can be hard to find - especially for our reo Māori speaking tamariki. Perhaps you’ve been told to wait and observe, or you're on a long waitlist, or just struggling to find helpful information. While I can’t provide specific support without knowing more about your tamaiti, hopefully you’ll find some of the information below helpful. 

Reframing communication

It can be helpful to re-frame what communication is so we can see the skills our tamariki already have. Communication isn’t just about using kupu. Our young ones are experts in communicating through gestures (pointing), facial expressions (smiling), or making sounds (crying, laughing). These are all valuable ways to get our needs met and connect with others. 

Take a moment to reflect: 

• How does your tamaiti let you know they are hungry? 

• How do they let you know they are enjoying something? 

• Or not enjoying something? 

Likely they let you know a lot without words. Take a moment to celebrate all the ways they connect with you and let you know what they need. It’s all communication and when we recognise gestures, body language and sounds as meaningful - then it's a powerful way to grow communication skills and encourage talking. 

Responding to gestures

If your tamaiti is letting you know they want something by pointing, gesturing or facial expressions, we can add language by talking about what they are interested in. Here’s some examples. 

Your tamaiti points at a cup to let you know they want a drink. Instead of just getting the drink, we can add language by saying: “he inu māu” or “you’d like a drink of water”. This gives them the words they can eventually use to ask for a drink.

When your tamaiti points at a big truck going past, you can say: “he taraka nui tērā” or “that’s a big truck”. This gives them words for something they are interested in. You might like to add more by saying its noisy, or its or digging in the ground. There are lots of words to learn when you describe something simple like a truck. This sets them up so they can tell you about things they are interested in, like big noisy trucks!

Connection and having fun

Our tamariki are all about connection - that’s what communication is really all about. Young tamariki learn language best from the people they are close with - whānau. Your tamaiti is more likely to learn language when they are connected and having fun with you. This is because our learning brains switch on when we are feeling safe and having fun. 

Join in with what they are interested in, and add words by:

• Commenting on what they are looking at

• Describing what is happening

• Naming objects they are playing with

Example: If your tamaiti is playing with blocks, join in. You could name what the blocks are, describe what your tamaiti is doing with them, or make comments about the colours or shape of the blocks.

Encourage turn taking

Taking turns is a communication skill. You talk - I talk - then you talk again and we go back and forth. We can encourage taking a turns in a few ways. 

You might like to sing their favourite waiata, and then stop just before the last word to encourage them to finish, and take a turn. For example:

“Row, row, row your boat gently down the …”. 

Or

“Tohora nui, tohora roa, tohora…”

• Pause

• Look at them expectantly like you want them to finish the line. 

• If they wiggle their body, make a sound, or gesture - then assume that is their turn. 

• Carry on the waiata and do it again. 

This should be a fun and playful way to connect while encouraging turn taking. The turn doesn’t have to be a word, it’s all about creating that back and forth interaction. 

Where to find more support

The Plunket website has information about what to expect and when with communication, check it out here. While it doesn't specifically focus on te reo Māori, it still provides some general guides that can be helpful for any language.

You can talk with your GP, kaiako and or a plunket nurse and share your concerns. 

You can make a referral to Ministry of Education (MOE) for a speech language therapist yourself.  However it can help to go through your GP and ask for a referral for speech-language therapy and audiology to get a hearing test (your SLT will need to know about hearing if they haven’t had a test before). 

If your tamaiti is at Kōhanga Reo, Puna Reo or at an early childhood center, talk to the kaiako and ask them what they have noticed about communication. You can ask them how they can support language development. They may also support you to make a referral to MOE. 

While the speech-language therapy service is free at MOE, there are often long wait times. It’s best to make a referral earlier rather than later.

If you'd like to discuss private speech language therapy with me, I can do a free 20 minute call with you to see if it's the right service for you.