Why is my child not talking, and what can delay speech development?
Applies to age: 12–60 months
In short
A speech delay is sometimes caused by hearing loss or by a speech or language disorder. If your child does not react when spoken to, consult a doctor and have your child's hearing tested.
What is normal
Some claims: international norm
- Children vary in the pace of their speech and language development.
Source: NIDCD · 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:
Children vary in their development of speech and language skills.
NIDCD · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [1]
- A child who cannot hear human speech will not learn to talk.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Dziecko, które nie słyszy ludzkiej mowy, nie nauczy się mówić.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
- Hearing loss in children can be genetic (inherited or not inherited) or acquired, when an external cause damages hearing.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Niedosłuch u dzieci może być genetyczny – dziedziczny lub niedziedziczny.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
Polish original
Bywa też nabyty – gdy słuch zostaje uszkodzony przez przyczynę zewnętrzną.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
- The most common causes of acquired hearing loss in children include chronic ear infections and meningitis.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Najczęstsze przyczyny nabytego niedosłuchu u dzieci to:
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
Polish original
przewlekłe zapalenia ucha
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
Polish original
zapalenie opon mózgowych
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
- Hearing tests are always free, not only right after birth.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Badania słuchu są bezpłatne zawsze, nie tylko zaraz po narodzeniu.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
When to worry
Some claims: international norm
- A delay in speech development is sometimes caused by hearing loss, and in other cases by a speech or language disorder.
Source: NIDCD · 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:
Sometimes a delay may be caused by hearing loss, while other times it may be due to a speech or language disorder.
NIDCD · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [1]
- A child who does not react when spoken to may have a problem with hearing.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Twoje dziecko może mieć problem ze słyszeniem, jeśli:
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
Polish original
nie reaguje, gdy do niego mówisz
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
- Hearing loss that is not recognized early enough disrupts a child's intellectual, social and emotional development.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Jeśli niedosłuch nie zostanie dostatecznie wcześnie rozpoznany, zaburzy rozwój intelektualny, społeczny i emocjonalny dziecka.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
- Children who have trouble understanding what others say or expressing their own thoughts may have a language disorder.
Source: NIDCD · 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:
Children who have trouble understanding what others say (receptive language) or difficulty sharing their thoughts (expressive language) may have a language disorder.
NIDCD · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [1]
- In some children with developmental language disorder (DLD), speech does not appear before the third or fourth year of life.
Source: NIDCD · 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:
Some children with DLD may not begin to talk until their third or fourth year.
NIDCD · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [1]
See a doctor
- If there are signs of possible hearing loss, including when a child does not react to being spoken to, consult a doctor and have your child's hearing tested.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Skonsultuj się wtedy z lekarzem i zbadaj słuch swego dziecka.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-16 · license [2]
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
- NIDCD – Speech and Language Developmental Milestones (USA)License: Domena publiczna (USA). Source: NIDCD – Speech and Language Developmental Milestones (USA).
- 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.