I love hearing your anecdotes, it's a comfort because worry appears sometimes that things will be difficult forever and it's hard having a non-typical child when it seems like all the other children are issue-free (probably they are not, but it feels like it). I think about traits a lot and how they often are context dependent. For example, my child is self-directed/internally focussed which is difficult when I want to direct our activities but on the plus side he never expects me to entertain him and rarely says "I'm bored". I would love to see late talker trait descriptions with possible impact on learning and good strategies to support. I am trying to put together something for my son's teachers. I recall one video you said it is good to see the school tasks at home first so it's the second time for the child at school. I have not yet managed to set this up but going into year 2 in September I hope to push for it. We are so behind on meeting school learning targets, I'm not certain my son is learning effectively at school. Thank you for this video, I enjoyed it.
I have a question. what does it mean when a late taker "doesn't understand". You mentioned you told the teacher he doesn't understand and you gave her a head's up and later she mentioned to you that she didn't think your son was understanding her. Does it appear they don't understand or are they really not understanding? Why are they "not understanding" or what makes it seem as though they are not understanding? I also found when my late talker seemed she wasn't understanding because the reaction back wasn't happening in the moment, I found a lot of the time my late talker later recalled things I thought, and others thought, she didn't understand or wasn't paying attention to but she was. I wanted to add that the reaction time or the expected timing a child who isn't late talking would converse isn't the same and it's held against the late talker and an incorrect expectation was made. I loved it when someone like a teacher or just a random person in the store would pick up on the late talking and not expect the "norm" and go along with it so there were people who were smart about conversing with late talkers. If a late talker feels they are given the time to converse it's less stress and allows for more attempts. When she was older and conversing, etc., she told me when she was little she knew what she wanted to say but she couldn't get the words out. It must have felt like an internal frustration or battle to her knowing it's there but feeling rushed would certainly cause the silence when talking was expected.
Hello, Your comment reveals valuable insight. I love receiving it. You are so correct. Assessing receptive language is complex and involves many aspects (!). I often refer to receptive language as the invisible side of language for many reasons. Your observation with your daughter is one I have experienced over and over again. Factors like temperament, allowing ample time for processing and formulation of ideas, the ability to extract meaning from each of the critical semantic aspects of language (vocabulary, grammar, and syntax), and considering competing stimuli are just o few of the factors that may be affecting receptive language performance. Each child's situation is unique, making it essential to approach these considerations individually. For those interacting with early language-learners or those potentially experiencing language delays, there are fundamental principles to keep in mind. These include ensuring (to your best ability) that you have the listener's attention and motivation, allowing the listener sufficient time, understanding the listener's developmental stage, refraining from hastily judging comprehension, and avoiding asking inauthentic questions that may inadvertently become performance requests rather than genuine inquiries. Receptive language performance is pivotal in communication and language development. Kudos to you for gaining insight into your child's patterns-it's knowledge that guides and enriches our future actions in helping the child’s progress. Thank you for sharing such important input. Mary
My girl is turning 4 in two days. She’s still not toilet trained; not interested whatsoever. She started speaking much more not too long ago, but still no back and forth conversation. She still pulls my finger to take me places and so on. I read Dr. Sowell’s books on late talkers and that’s how I found out about your work. I guess I’m just another mom who fits the profile. My father plays an instrument and is an engineer. I am an Engineer and also play two instruments, and my husband is a computer programmer. At first, I started to get worried about her not speaking when I realized my neighbor’s son was able to start a conversation and answer simple questions given they have the same age (days apart). We live in Italy. I speak Spanish as well, but I speak mostly English to her. I wanted her to learn it fast given that Italian would be the primary language at her school. At first, people would tell me she wasnt speaking and it was normal for someone with three languages at home. My daughter was always asked for her name and she would only just stare.But she is able to recognize letters from car plates and numbers up to 100 (now she can read any up to 999) since she was two years old (I have some videos) she loves music; recognizes the sound of instruments in songs. She used to sit and watch a concert from Hisaishi: it was 90minutes long, mimicking the violins and the conductor . She knows dinosaur names and can distinguish species easily. One time, She unlocked her iPad out of the blue; she memorized the pattern of the password. I changed it to numbers, and now she unlocks it with the code as well. She is in preschool. I was called by the person in charge, she told me I had to get her checked out by a neuropsychiatric because she is very repetitive, sings all the time, likes to dress up “hats mostly”, she doesn’t sit through circle time, does not invite others to play with her… I’ve seen their activities and one time I spotted her not on the table: the kids were all sitting down painting and she was laying on the carpet “going through a book”. I believe their activities are not engaging and it’s just a matter of boredom plus the fact that they mostly speak Italian. She understands commands, and is a very loving girl. She avoids confrontation. Sometimes at the park there are kids who take away her toys and she is not bothered. But if she sees that they are roughhousing she goes away. I had her checked when she was two years old. She seemed to have absence seizures but the doctors found nothing wrong… she still has some every now and then, but I’m not so worried as before. I am planning on changing her to an all American school to see if it’s mostly a problem of language…. Although now, I’m not so sure. She’s been to that school for almost an entire year now and a big change might be drawback. Plus the delayed potty is starting to be a problem. Although, he teacher told me about a week ago that she got up and went to be pee by herself. Only that one time … XD My appointment with the neuropsychiatrist is until June.
Hello, There is so much in your comment that is familiar to me. I want to encourage you to contact the Late Talkers Foundation infor@latetalkers.org, or contact me at mary@latetalkers.org, so that we can thoroughly cover the points you bring up in your comments. There is also a way that I would recommend to approach potty training. I believe you will be quickly successful. I am very glad you have a medical team to keep close tabs on the seizure activity and monitor/manage this. Good for you that you are following up with helpers. Remember to speak up and establish relationships with helpers with whom you can establish trust and respect, and who listen to you. Your knowledge and insight to your daughter is incredibly valuable. It is the relationships that will help your daughter and you the most. I hope you hear from you! Mary. PS You did nothing wrong in exposing your daughter to more than one language
Hello Dr Camarata, You mention early on the video that traits persist life long. Can you please elaborate on that a little more? Do you mean the child will have difficulties with talking or just personality?
Thanks for your question. We appreciate the opportunity to address it. First, let's clarify "traits." "Traits" are not necessarily "disabilities." Rather, they are inherent qualities that make each person's behavior and personality unique. Traits tend to persist and be relatively stable over time, though we learn as we grow to adapt our inherent qualities to suit the demands of adulthood. A "disability" is thought of something that substantially impairs (one or more) fundamental life functions. Happily, we can accommodate disabilities to greater and lesser extent, so that the individual can participate independently to their fullest extent. However, the accommodation(s) stand out in comparison to the typical adaptations a person undergoes while maturing into an independent life. A trait such as a strength for visual, spatial, and analytical thinking will likely persist. A person with this trait will likely always have this strength and acquire knowledge more readily in learning by doing than in learning by listening. To be sure, the individual will learn in many modes. However, their natural attributes will tend to shape their preferences and what they pursue or find meaningful. We need to be cautious. Some late talkers may not necessarily fit this profile. Learning and development are complex. Profiles are multi-dimentional and as unique as individuals. However, broadly, late talkers tend to have exceptional visual analytical abilities. This trait tends to persist and influence the late talker's way of looking at the world and what they may pursue. We really appreciate these kinds of questions. Let us know if this sparks additional questions. We are happy to address them. Mary and Stephen Camarata.
I have read your book and enjoyed your series. My son is 3.7 years old. He spoke his first words at 2. He has not had the infamous 'language explosion', more so, a gradual increase over time. His receptive language improves every day. He tested no for ASD. My question is about Gestalt language processing. I believe my son is a combination of analytical and Gestalt processor, as he has delayed echolalia, but he does not script long sentences. Do you have much research on this way of language and later talkers? He doesn't 100% fit the analytical profile as I would have thought that within 1.5 years of talking, he would have built more spontaneous language and played around with word combinations, but he rarely does and just tends to use his comfortable language of common phrases and word combinations... which is why I think he could be a Gestalt processor as he seems stuck. Also do late talkers tend to get 'more talkative' as their language develops? My son has well over 2000 words. I have heard him make a sentence just a few days ago "Do you want to go for a bike ride?" No, I want to go on a bike ride, I want to watch TV while Mumma cooks," .... which blew my mind.... yet most of the time, he is quiet and will only talk on his terms and when he wants do, essentially with usually 3 words at a time. I just hope he gets more confident and talkative with time, so I wondered if this was common. He knows how to put a novel sentence together, but it's like a diamond in the rough. He can answer questions perfectly yet has never tried to ask a question himself. (My husband didn't talk until after 3 years. He is a Physician. I am an analyst & musical)
Hello, I am glad to receive your comments and questions! I will do my best to address them here. Always know you are welcome to contact the Late Talkers Foundation for additional general information about late-talking and your precious son. 😊 We are thrilled that you have found the books and episodes helpful. Wonderful! While there are other things to consider beside age, your son is still within the common time frame for a developmental burst over the next several months. I hope that happens and am happy to talk with you about how to support and encourage that. Notwithstanding, I am encouraged by the steady, gradual increase in his expressive language over time that you report, and even more so by the daily increase in his understanding of the language he hears. Auditory comprehension of language is a very strong positive prognostic indicator. So, I am very glad to hear that! Regarding your inquiry about research concerning blended (heterogeneous) styles of language-learning, yes, there is much investigation into patterns (blended or otherwise) of language learning for both typically developing children and those who are late in talking. One thing you can know after reviewing the literature is that every child has their unique “recipe” for learning to talk and listen. No one model encapsulates a child’s journey to mature communication. Another thing that may be helpful to bear in mind is as children mature and progress, there are trade-offs across development. It is not as though all areas of development rise together in unison-they take turns. You may not notice progress in one area of development, but another area(s) that you may not be as tuned into will be progressing nicely. Eventually, that developmental area may take a breather while a different area(s) speeds up its rate of change and progress. The advantageous thing is that our children show us the feedback they need. With some parent-coaching in development and language-supportive techniques, you will provide invaluable feedback and interaction with your child! The plus side is that parents tend to intuitively have these skills already; it’s a matter of becoming overtly aware of them and learning how to increase them in your everyday scenarios. You mentioned something else in your comment that is often misunderstood: "echolalia." When we hear our child repeat words, it is understandable to think this is "echolalia." Echolalia has a specific definition, but there is also productive spontaneous imitation of what the communicative partner has said. This is actually quite positive! We would not want to discourage this and, in fact, can respond to it in a way that maximizes its productivity. The important thing is not whether the child has said words similar or identical to what we have said or that they have heard; it’s about the meaningfulness and communicative intent with which the child produces them. In the last part of your comment, you mentioned how your “mind is sometimes blown” by your son’s reticence to use the words he has and other, less frequent times, when your son will produce long, intact utterances and sentences. This is a common experience of many parents of late-talkers (!), and that an understanding of language and temperament can help you navigate more easily and productively as you walk the path to better and better talking and communication with your child. Unfortunately, it is not the kind of information that can be efficiently addressed within the forum of answer a comment. But I do hear you (!) and your true interest in helping and understanding your child’s communication development and how to best support him going forward. This is the wish of parents of late talkers, and one I hope to address in a new way. It is my goal to begin live-streaming on our channel in the Fall of 2024. This will allow the foundation to support parents of late-talking children in additional ways that we feel will be uniquely helpful. One live-stream content area will be a series of live parent-coaching sessions to cover the content areas mentioned in my answer (and more). I hope you consider joining those live streams . And always remember, you are welcome to contact the Late Talkers Foundation for general information about late talking (615-866-9457)! We’d love to hear from you. Best, Mary 😊
