This is an English rendering of a Polish public-health reference. The care paths it names (112, night and holiday care NiŚOZ, primary care POZ) are Polish. This is not medical advice.

PL

This is not medical advice Life-threatening emergency (Poland): 112

Home › Speech

Is it normal for a child to understand but not talk, and only scream, squeal or point?

Applies to age: 12–30 months

In short

Every child is different, and development does not follow a strict pattern. If a child is developing differently from peers, it is worth discussing with a specialist what worries you; the health checkup (bilans zdrowia) at age 2 includes a hearing response test and an assessment of speech development.

Sources: Portal Pacjenta, NHS, Akty prawne w Dzienniku UstawChecked: Report an error

What is normal

Some claims: international norm

  • Every child is different, and development does not follow a strict pattern.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Każde dziecko jest inne i jego rozwój nie przebiega ściśle według wzorca.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [1]

  • At 18–24 months, a child understands some simple instructions.
    Source: NHS · international norm – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your child will understand some instructions at this age

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

  • Around the age of 2, a child starts to put simple sentences together.
    Source: NHS · international norm – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your child will start to put simple sentences together at around age 2

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

When to worry

All claims: international norm

  • Glue ear (the middle part of the ear filling with fluid) that lasts a long time may affect a child's speech development.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    If glue ear lasts a long time, it can affect a child's speech development and progress at school.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

    Glue ear is where the middle part of the ear canal fills up with fluid.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

  • Features that may occur in children with autism include not responding to their own name and using facial expressions and gestures less often.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Autistic children may:

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

    not respond to their name

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

    use fewer facial expressions and gestures

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

Worth discussing with a doctor:

  • If you are worried about your child's speech or language development, it is worth seeing a doctor.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    If you're worried about your child's speech or language development, talk to your GP or health visitor.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

  • Signs of a hearing problem in a child include asking people to repeat what is said to them and asking for the TV or music to be turned up louder; with such symptoms, it is worth seeing a doctor.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Your child has signs of a hearing problem, such as:

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

    asking people to repeat what they say

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

    asking for the TV or music to be turned up loud

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

  • If you suspect that your child may have autism, it is worth seeing a doctor.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    you think your child might be autistic

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]

See a doctor

  • Polish care pathway: the Ministry of Health (MZ) regulation on guaranteed services in primary care (POZ) (consolidated text, the Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2023 item 1427, annex 1 part III, item 5) provides for a hearing response development test and an assessment of speech development as part of the health checkup (bilans zdrowia) at age 2. This is the timing of the checkup and an indication of what is assessed then, not a range of ages for first words.
    Source: Akty prawne w Dzienniku Ustaw – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    2 lata profilaktyczne badanie lekarskie (bilans zdrowia) obejmuje

    Akty prawne w Dzienniku Ustaw · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [3]

    Polish original

    przeprowadzenie testu rozwoju reakcji słuchowych oraz ocenę rozwoju mowy

    Akty prawne w Dzienniku Ustaw · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [3]

  • If a child is developing differently from peers, it is worth consulting a specialist about what worries you, and using the advice of a midwife, nurse or pediatrician.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Warto jednak skonsultować ze specjalistą to, co Cię zaniepokoiło i korzystać z rad położnej, pielęgniarki czy pediatry.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [1]

  • A child's health checkup is carried out by a family doctor, pediatrician or nurse.
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Badanie przeprowadza lekarz rodzinny, pediatra lub pielęgniarka.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [1]

international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

International norm

“International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

Sources

  1. Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)
    License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
  2. NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)
    License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS.
  3. Akty prawne w Dzienniku Ustaw (ELI: eli.gov.pl, api.sejm.gov.pl)
    License: Akt normatywny, art. 4 pkt 1 ustawy o prawie autorskim (nie podlega ochronie). Source: Akty prawne w Dzienniku Ustaw (ELI: eli.gov.pl, api.sejm.gov.pl).

See an error or outdated information? Report an error in this answer. Answer checked against the sources on October 9, 2026.

Set your child's age