Therapy guides

Speech Therapy for Developmental and Language Delays

  • Editorially Reviewed
  • Evidence Based
  • Patient Focused

Written and reviewed by the DrSensory editorial team against cited evidence and national clinical guidelines · How we write and who reviews it · Last updated August 28, 2026

Speech therapy for developmental delays addresses understanding language, using it, and the pre-verbal skills that come first — gestures, joint attention, and early sounds. A child is generally described as a late talker when by 24 months they use fewer than 50 words and aren't combining two words, while being age-appropriate in every other area. Many late talkers catch up; some don't, and research has found late language emergence at 24 months to be a risk indicator for language impairment at seven. Nobody can reliably predict which group a child is in, which is why waiting is harder to justify than it sounds — particularly when early intervention is free in most states and parent-referable for children under three.

Key takeaways

  • Speech therapy for developmental delays addresses understanding language, using it, and the pre-verbal skills that come first.
  • Pre-verbal skills are pointing, joint attention, imitation and gestures, and they come before words.
  • A child is generally described as a late talker when by 24 months they use fewer than 50 words and are not combining two words.
  • AAC is used where speech is significantly delayed, rather than held back until other approaches fail.
  • Parent coaching is a large part of the work, because the hours that matter are at home.
  • Goals are small and countable: uses ten new words in daily routines, points to request, combines two words to ask for something.

This page covers what speech and language therapy does for speech and language difficulties. For the range of conditions and how each is assessed, see Speech and language difficulties.

What speech therapy addresses here

Pre-verbal skills — pointing, joint attention, imitation, gestures · understanding language · expressive language · speech sound development · AAC where speech is significantly delayed · feeding where relevant · parent coaching

The two things families most need

"Wait and see" is the weakest of three options. Watching with review, or early support, are both defensible. Doing nothing while free assessment is available isn't.

Being bilingual doesn't cause delay. ASHA holds that learning two or more languages doesn't inhibit language development or worsen outcomes, and late language emergence occurs at similar rates in bilingual and monolingual children. Don't drop your home language on that advice. → Speech and language

Goals

Uses ten new words in daily routines · Points to request · Combines two words to ask for something

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I worry about late talking?
Fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations by 24 months is the usual marker. You can self-refer to early intervention under three, free in most states.
Will he catch up on his own?
Many late talkers do; some don't, and it isn't reliably predictable. That uncertainty is the argument for assessment rather than waiting.
Does being bilingual cause delay?
No. Don't drop your home language.
Should we consider AAC for a young child?
Where speech is significantly delayed, yes — it doesn't delay speech and gives a child a way to communicate now.

Sources

  1. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Late Language Emergence. ASHA Practice Portal. www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/late-language-emergence/ Checked August 24, 2026.
  2. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Speech and Language Developmental Milestones. NIH. www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language Checked August 24, 2026.

Disclaimer. For general educational purposes; not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Speak to a qualified clinician about your child.