Is this your child?
Your child isn’t talking yet. Let’s look at that together.
This is the worry we hear most from parents of young children. We’ll tell you honestly whether it’s something to act on — after we look, not before.
“He’ll talk when he’s ready.” “He understands everything — he just won’t say it.” “Is it my fault?” We’ve heard all of these, from parents exactly like you. The honest middle: some children are late talkers and catch up on their own. And some are not — they need help getting the words out. A web page can’t tell you which kind your child is; a conversation with a clinician can help you understand what’s worth doing next.
When you are unsure whether to wait
Some children develop speech at different rates. If you are worried, you do not have to decide the answer alone. A conversation can help you understand whether a consultation or a fuller assessment is appropriate. It does not label your child or commit you to therapy.
And the fear underneath deserves an answer: no one here will tell you a door has closed. Children start help at three, at five, at seven. Earlier starts can make things easier — that’s all. Nothing is wasted.
Signs to watch
Children develop in different ways. Rather than using this page to decide what is normal, notice patterns that concern you and tell us what you are seeing.
- Around eighteen months: No single words yet, no effort to copy sounds, no pointing — pointing is a child’s first way of saying “that.”
- Around two years: Only a handful of single words, no two-word phrases like “more milk.”
- Around three years: Mostly fragments that only the family can understand.
- At any age: Seems to hear some things and not others; turns only sometimes when his name is called.
- Always worth a call: Words that were there and then stopped.
- And the emotional sign: Frustration — tantrums that end because nobody can understand him.
What we’d do first
We would start by listening to you and learning how your child communicates, plays, understands, and manages ordinary routines. The team will explain whether Cornerstone can help and what the next step would be — a consultation, a speech-and-language evaluation, or simply watching for a while with specific things to notice. A speech-and-language evaluation is a detailed assessment, priced separately from a therapy session; we’ll tell you the cost before you book it.
What therapy may look like here
Some sessions include play. The therapist should be able to explain what the activity is helping your child practise and how you can support that goal at home. Progress can look different from child to child, so we agree what to notice, and review it about once every four months.
What we’d never do: tell you not to worry when you’re right to wonder, force your child to “perform” words, promise a timeline, or make you feel this is your fault.
Honest answers
Is it my fault?
No. This is the most common question we’re asked. Delays in speech aren’t caused by a parenting mistake. Some children simply need more support to talk. What matters now isn’t how this happened — it’s what helps next.
“He’ll talk when he’s ready” — isn’t that true for some children?
It is. Late talkers exist, and many catch up on their own. But some children stay quiet because they need help — and waiting doesn’t change that; support does. An assessment tells you which kind your child is, instead of hoping.
How long will therapy take?
We won’t give you a number, because nobody honest can. Progress is usually visible in weeks to months; bigger skills take longer. What we promise instead: goals written from the start, a review about every four months, and a straight answer if we’re not the right help.
We speak two languages at home. Is that confusing him?
Bilingual homes are common in Bangalore, and we plan around your home languages rather than asking you to drop one. If you’d like the clinical reasoning, ask us on your first call — the team can explain what the research and experience say.
Choose: book an assessment, or talk to us first
Either way, you don’t have to decide the answer alone. Call +91 70225 30530 during working hours — someone on the team will talk with you.