Do Boys talk later than girls?

Suppose you are a parent or caregiver of a male toddler. In that case, you might have experienced certain differences in your child’s language development. Though you tend to give it an overlook, your friend or a colleague or maybe some neighbour can remind you how talkative her daughter is, who has the same age as your son. Concerns are sure to rise when you find your colleague’s daughter or a neighbouring little girl of the same age talking much and having much vocabulary compared to your son. Are you wondering why boys talk later than girls or how late it takes before they are termed as having speech delay? Well, this article is exactly for you.

Is it true that boys talk later than girls?

Statistics suggest that boys talk later than girls. On average, girls acquire language skills faster during the first few years of life than boys. But this difference will be just a few months. There is a normal range within which a child develops age-appropriate speech skills. If a child has not started to speak more than ten words even after four years of age, then it is clear that the child is showing the symptoms of speech delay. 

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Why do boys talk later than girls?

Studies have shown that language development varies between genders. Commonly, a male child speaks later than a female child. During pregnancy, the prenatal testosterone hormone has a major role to play in male fetal neurodevelopment. This hormone is associated with language delay in male children.

According to research conducted by Andrew Whitehouse of the University of Western Australia, Males exposed to the highest levels of prenatal testosterone are more prone to language delay than females. In fact, for females, these hormones act as a protective factor.

Speech Development in Boys vs. Girls

Feature	Boys	Girls	Detailed Explanation
Average Age of First Words	Slightly later than girls	Slightly earlier than boys	Girls often start speaking their first words a few months earlier than boys. This difference is typically noticeable around the one-year mark, with girls generally beginning to verbalize recognizable words before their male counterparts.
Impact of Prenatal Hormones	Testosterone may delay speech	Hormones may act as a protective factor	Testosterone, prevalent in male fetuses, has been linked to speech and language delays. For girls, the absence of high levels of prenatal testosterone and the presence of other hormones may contribute to a developmental environment that supports earlier language acquisition.
Play Preferences	Tend to play alone (cars, trucks)	Group play (dolls, kitchen sets)	Boys are often observed playing with toys that encourage solitary play, focusing on mechanical functions or activities. Girls, conversely, engage more in group play, using toys that stimulate social interaction and verbal communication.
Social Interaction	May engage less in imitative play	Often engage in imitative play	Boys might show less interest in imitative play, which involves mimicking social interactions and conversational patterns. Girls are more inclined towards imitative play, frequently mimicking adult conversations and social roles, which enhances language skills.
Vocabulary by 16 months	Struggle with 30 words	Produce around 100 words	By 16 months, there’s a noticeable gap in vocabulary size, with boys typically knowing fewer words compared to girls, who tend to have a more extensive vocabulary. This difference highlights the faster pace at which girls acquire new words.
Intervention Needs	May require early speech therapy	Less likely to need early intervention	Given their tendency to develop speech skills later, boys might benefit more from early speech therapy to address and mitigate potential delays. Girls, having generally started speaking earlier and more fluently by this age, might not require intervention as frequently.

Other factors:

The play way methods also differ among boys and girls. Younger boys usually play with the toys such as cars and trucks, which engage them to play alone and be in their world. At the same time, girls play with dolls, an imitative kitchen set, a group of soft toys and so on, where they learn the idea of grouping and imitating. A girl child learns to be in groups, to fake conversations between dolls, to imitate the mother cooking in the kitchen, and to name and differentiate between her toys. All this involves a lot of talking and thinking, improving her cognitive aspects along with speech and language.

Also, the gross motor skills of boys improve during their preschool age, and they tend to run more, act more, and play more rather than speak. It is common for parents to think boys should be physically active by playing around rather than sitting and having conversations.

When are children termed as “late talkers?”

Though some children start talking late, they need not be termed “late talkers”. Just like the developmental milestones, every child needs to achieve speech milestones. A parent or caregiver must check if these are met. It is common to have a few months difference between kids of the same age to achieve milestones. But, if the child lags a significant amount of time, it could be a delay symptom.

If the child speaks less than ten words by age 18 to 20 months or even fewer words than 50 by age of 21 to 30 months of age, then the child is understood to be a late talker.

What are age-appropriate Speech milestones?

Let us look at the speech milestones to understand if the child is a late talker.

• Below three months of age: The baby cooes and responds to cooing sounds.
• Between 4 to 6 months of age: The baby laughs, giggles, mouths bubbles, and makes playful sounds
• Around 12 months of age: The baby makes sounds for a longer period like ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, ta-tat-ta-ta-ta, or so on
• Between 1 and 1.5 years of age: The baby starts using single-word sounds, mostly two-letter ones. They can be like ma-ma, da-da, meow, dog, etc.
• By age 2: They try to converse meaningfully with two words like “daddy bye”, “doggy come”, “I want”, and so on.
• By age 3: The baby develops some vocabulary with three words phrases like, “Let’s go out”, “I need water”, or “This is mine”, and so on.

Explore our article on The Early Years of Speech and Language.

Speech Development Milestones

Age Range	Milestones	Description
Below 3 months	Baby coos and responds to cooing sounds.	At this early stage, infants begin to vocalize in response to the environment or caregiver interactions. These sounds are the first signs of communication and include cooing and laughter.
4 to 6 months	Laughs, giggles, mouths bubbles, and makes playful sounds.	Infants start to explore more with their voices, producing a variety of sounds beyond simple cooing. Laughter emerges, and babies may blow bubbles or raspberries as part of their vocal play.
Around 12 months	Makes longer sounds like “ba-ba-ba”, “ma-ma-ma”, etc.	As they approach their first birthday, babies begin to string vowels and consonants together, creating babbling sequences that mimic the rhythm and patterns of language.
1 to 1.5 years	Starts using single-word sounds, e.g., “ma-ma”, “da-da”.	Toddlers start to use specific sounds to refer to parents or objects of interest. These words may not be perfect but represent a significant step in using language to communicate.
By age 2	Begins to converse with two words, e.g., “daddy bye”.	By the age of two, children start combining words to form simple sentences, indicating a growing understanding of language structure and an increase in vocabulary.
By age 3	Develops vocabulary with three-word phrases, e.g., “Let’s go out”.	Children’s vocabulary rapidly expands, and they begin to use three or more words in sentences, showing improved language skills and the ability to express complex ideas.

Is it a risk if boys talk later than girls?

It is often seen that if girls around 16 months of age produce 100 words, boys have very little vocabulary and struggle with 30 words. But you might ask, “What if they speak late”? There are reasons why this might seem a subject of concern.

Boys are left with low confidence and low self-esteem without a good base of social communication skills at an early age. They might remain backwards academically and socially as they would not be proactive due to poor communication skills. 

When left untreated, late-talking boys develop speech delays in their school and college life until later adulthood. Needless to say, this highly affects their personal, social, and professional growth. This language delay affects the child’s ability to learn to read and write. Hence, if a preschool boy has a speech delay, responding as quickly as possible is important. At 3 or 4 years old, you cannot overlook the thought that a boy speaks late because there is a high chance that the boy might be having a speech and language delay if he has a very limited vocabulary by three years of age. 

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What should be done to avoid speech delay?

Babies must see your face, mouth, and tongue in the first months of life to learn and talk. So we need to let them see to imitate the expressions and learn to talk. It is important to spend some time with them and repeatedly talk a few words for them to learn.

Babies and toddlers with speech issues need those visual cues to learn. If children don’t get social interaction at school or outside the house, there occur delays in speech and language.

Also Read: Unlocking Communication: Effective Speech Therapy for Autism

How to make him talkative?

Here are some tips that you can implement to make him talkative.

• Try to involve him in conversations. If not, let him listen to them and then try to model conversations like that later. Ask him to respond.
• Try to grab his attention by following his interests. For example, boys are more interested in mechanical than human motion. They show interest in the movement of a ball, toy car, or something like that.
• Talk to him as often as possible. Praise for little improvements with excitement in your tone. Try to have expressions on your face while you speak.
• Try to use words or phrases that are relevant to the actions you do. For example, you can say, “Let’s go”, before you both leave out for something. Or say “cover off” while you remove the cover of something.
• Take a 15-mins play time with your son every day, during which you kneel down to your son’s height to maintain good eye contact. Engage him in his favourite activity.

If you do all these activities, it is no wonder that your child will soon start developing age-appropriate speech skills. If your child doesn’t speak, instead of doing all the ones mentioned above, please do not sit back and wait. Get a speech assessment test to assess if the child is a late-talker. In that case, taking speech therapy sessions as early as possible would be very helpful in covering speech delay in children.

Does early intervention help late-talkers?

Yes, it does. If you find your child lacking age-appropriate speaking skills, then it is necessary to have a screening test. Audiologists initially advise a hearing test to check if the child is good at hearing. If hearing is fine, the speech and language pathologists do a speech and language assessment test. Depending on this assessment report, the SLP or Speech pathologist can make a therapy plan to address the speech issues.

Early intervention can help the late-talker pick up the speech skills soon. With continuous therapy sessions, the child can achieve speech milestones within a few months. The same is true for stuttering or stammering cases, mis-articulation, mispronunciation, or other speech-related cases. Wellness Hub has a group of specialized and RCI-certified speech therapists who can assist you offline and online with your child’s speech-related issues. 

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Conclusion

Understanding the nuances of speech development is crucial for the well-being and growth of male toddlers. While it’s common for boys to talk later than girls, recognizing and addressing any signs of speech delay early can significantly impact a child’s ability to communicate effectively. Interventions such as speech therapy play a pivotal role in bridging the gap, ensuring that boys develop the necessary language skills to thrive socially and academically.

Wellness Hub, with its team of specialized and RCI-certified speech therapists, stands as an invaluable resource for parents and caregivers. By offering both offline and online support, Wellness Hub facilitates early intervention, tailoring therapy plans to meet individual needs and guiding children towards achieving their speech milestones.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why do boys start talking later than girls?

Boys typically start talking later than girls due to differences in brain development and the impact of prenatal testosterone. This hormone influences male fetal neurodevelopment and is associated with language delays in boys.

2. What are the signs that a boy might have a speech delay?

Signs of speech delay include speaking less than ten words by 18 to 20 months of age or fewer than 50 words by 21 to 30 months. If a boy shows significantly less vocabulary compared to peers, it might indicate a speech delay.

3. How can parents help boys with late speech development?

Parents can engage in more face-to-face conversations, use relevant words during activities, ensure eye contact, and play with their child daily. These activities help improve language skills and encourage speech development.

4. At what age should parents be concerned about their child’s speech development?

Concerns should arise if a child speaks less than ten words by 18 to 20 months or fewer than 50 words by 21 to 30 months. Early consultation with a speech therapist is advised to assess and address any delays.

5. How does Wellness Hub assist in speech development for boys?

Wellness Hub offers specialized services with RCI-certified speech therapists who provide personalized therapy plans, both offline and online. Their expertise supports children in achieving speech milestones and overcoming speech delays effectively.

6. Can early intervention really make a difference for late talkers?

Yes, early intervention can significantly help late talkers catch up to their peers. Through targeted speech therapy and consistent practice, children can improve their language skills, ensuring a strong foundation for future communication.

7. What activities are recommended to encourage speech development in boys?

Recommended activities include engaging in conversations, following the child’s interests, praising small improvements, and having structured playtimes. These activities are aimed at enhancing vocabulary and encouraging speech.

8. What is the role of play in speech development for boys?

Play is crucial for speech development as it provides opportunities for boys to express themselves, engage in social interactions, and learn new words. Play activities that stimulate imagination and involve talking are especially beneficial.

9. When should parents seek professional help for their child’s speech delay?

Parents should seek professional help if their child shows signs of speech delay, such as speaking fewer words than expected for their age. Early assessment and intervention by speech therapists are vital for addressing delays.

10. How does Wellness Hub’s approach to speech therapy differ?

Wellness Hub’s approach to speech therapy involves personalized care from RCI-certified therapists, who use evidence-based practices to address each child’s unique needs. Their comprehensive support includes both online and offline interventions, ensuring accessible and effective treatment for speech delays.

About the Author:

Prapoorna Mangalampalli, Psychologist

Prapoorna, an author with dual master’s degrees in Psychology and English, excels in exploring and enhancing human experiences. Her writing, characterized by deep empathy and insight, primarily focuses on the complexities of counseling, spanning areas such as online, marital, relationship, child, family, and career counseling. Specialized training in various counseling sectors underscores her dedication to positive change. In her blogs, Prapoorna offers valuable guidance and a unique perspective for parents of children with Autism and special needs, creating a supportive community in this realm.