Speech
How do I know if my child has strong speech readiness?
Strong speech readiness shows in the foundations beneath talking: responding to sound and to their name, babbling, sharing attention, pointing and gesturing, understanding simple words, and wanting to connect. These matter more than word count in the early years. Seek a gentle developmental check — and a hearing check — if babbling, gestures, name response or understanding seem quiet for your child's age, or if a skill is lost. This guides support early; it is not a diagnosis.
Watching your little one babble, point and light up at your voice — those everyday moments are the building blocks of speech, and noticing them means you're already tuning in beautifully.
In short
Strong speech readiness isn't about how many words your child says — it's about the foundations underneath talking: hearing and responding to sound, sharing attention with you, babbling and gesturing, understanding simple words, and wanting to connect. If your child is turning to your voice, babbling back, pointing or showing things, following simple requests, and using gestures, those are wonderful signs the ground is ready for speech to grow. If several of these feel quiet or absent for your child's age, a gentle developmental check is wise — not because anything is wrong, but because early support works best.What strong speech readiness looks like
Speech grows from a chain of earlier skills. Look warmly for these foundations, roughly by age:- Listening & responding — turns to your voice, quietens to familiar sounds, responds to their name (from around 6–9 months).
- Babbling & sounds — coos, then babbles strings like ba-ba, da-da, and later jabbers with tune and rhythm (from around 6–12 months).
- Shared attention — looks where you point, follows your gaze, shares a smile or a toy with you (the heart of communication).
- Gestures — points, waves, reaches up, shakes head — these are speech's stepping-stones and often arrive before words.
- Understanding — follows simple requests like give me or come here, recognises familiar names and objects.
- Wanting to connect — brings things to show you, takes turns in little back-and-forth games, imitates sounds and actions.
When these are present, speech tends to bloom naturally. When several are quiet, or your child once had a skill and seems to have lost it, that's a kind reason to ask a clinician — not a diagnosis.
When to seek a check
Arrange a gentle developmental check if, for your child's age, you notice little or no babbling, no pointing or gesturing by around 12 months, not responding to their name, few or no words by 18 months, or any loss of words or skills once had. A quick hearing check is also wise, since clear hearing is the bedrock of speech. Trust your instinct — what you notice every day is valuable.The Pinnacle way
A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an online checklist. Our clinicians look at the whole picture of your child's listening, play, gestures and connection, and shape any support around joyful, everyday moments. You can explore how our speech therapy team nurtures these foundations, and begin with a simple visit through our [home page](/).Trusted sources
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (asha.org) guidance on early communication milestones and pre-verbal foundations; CDC "Learn the Signs, Act Early" developmental milestones; American Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org) on language and hearing in early childhood.Next step — Trust what you've noticed. Book a developmental assessment for a warm, clear review of your child's speech readiness and milestones.
What to watch
Look for responding to their name, babbling, pointing and gestures, following simple requests, and wanting to share and connect. Seek a developmental and hearing check if there's little babbling, no pointing or gesturing by ~12 months, few or no words by 18 months, no response to name, or loss of words or skills once had.
Try this at home
Narrate your day in short, sing-song phrases and pause to let your child respond with a sound, look or gesture — these back-and-forth turns are how speech readiness grows.
Trusted sources
Developed by SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network · Last reviewed 2026-06-10 · reviewed every 365 days
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care.
Frequently asked
Is speech readiness the same as how many words my child says?
No — readiness is about the foundations beneath talking: listening, babbling, pointing, shared attention and understanding. These often appear well before words and predict how naturally speech will grow.
My toddler points and babbles but says few words. Should I worry?
Pointing, babbling and understanding are very encouraging signs of readiness. If words are still few by around 18 months, a gentle developmental and hearing check is wise — early support is gentle and effective.
Why does hearing matter for speech readiness?
Clear hearing is the bedrock of speech — children learn to talk by hearing and copying sounds. If speech foundations seem quiet, a simple hearing check is always a sensible first step.