# My toddler isn’t talking yet — what should I do first? | Clever Mum

> Three practical first steps: book a hearing test (glue ear is a common, fixable cause), tell your health visitor and ask about local speech and language

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#  My toddler isn’t talking yet — what should I do first? 

    
 
Quick answer — My toddler isn’t talking yet — what should I do first? 

 
Three practical first steps: book a hearing test (glue ear is a common, fixable cause), tell your health visitor and ask about local speech and language drop-ins, and flood daily life with low-pressure language — narrate, pause, and give choices rather than quizzing. Picture cards can cut frustration while words catch up. Early support helps whatever the cause turns out to be.

   
## Step 1: rule out hearing

Glue ear — fluid behind the eardrum, usually after repeated colds — is one of the most common causes of speech delay and completely invisible day to day: children with glue ear still turn to loud sounds. Ask your GP for a hearing test referral; it's quick, painless, and either finds a fixable cause or crosses the biggest variable off the list.

## Step 2: get support moving in parallel

Tell your health visitor what you're seeing (words used, understanding shown, gestures, pointing). Ask specifically about local speech and language therapy drop-ins — many areas run them without referral — and put your name down even if you're told to wait and see, because waiting lists move slower than development.

## Step 3: change the language environment, not the child

* **Narrate** your actions and theirs in short sentences.
* **Pause** noticeably after you speak — processing takes toddlers longer than feels natural.
* **Offer choices** ("apple or banana?") which invite a word, rather than quizzes ("say apple!") which invite refusal.
* **Picture cards** cut frustration while words catch up — pointing at a card for "drink" beats a meltdown, and using them does not delay speech; the evidence points the other way.

  
 **Go deeper:**  [Nonverbal communication help — Autism Parent Guide (our sister site)](https://autismparentguide.org/communication/nonverbal) 

    
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