To think when your child starts talking is a sign of their intelligence?

[Yuep]

Or is there no link?

bit worried as dd is hitting all milestone and can communicate and understand instruction but at 20 months is only really articulating 5 words with any real sense.

It very much isn't. I was talking by 12 months and I'm no genius. My brother was 2, he"s a bright guy.

My sibling didn't speak until they were 3.5. Went on to win a scholarship to a prestigious UK university and now make close to a million a year. So I'd say it might or might not be related.

Have you spoken to HV or doctor?

No idea when my child started but I don't see the connection between speech and intelligence

It depends what kind of intelligence you are talking about. Einstein didn’t speak until he was four.

Remember, there is so much to learn and understand when you are new to this world - balance, motor skills, routines, relationships, safety and danger, what is around you, etc, etc. Some children prioritise certain areas.

No. Source - I have a family member who is entirely non verbal and very clever.

I hope not! My son was late to talk (SLT and everything) but he seems bright enough at 9.

DS’s best friend didn’t speak until he was nearly 4 and they are both at the same very good Grammar school now.

I didn't speak until I was 5, neither did my son. We are both intelligent (based on being "high achievers"). We are both also autistic.

No link.

Some very bright children are early talkers. But not all early talkers are very bright. The same applies to late bloomers - some are very bright and some are not. Too many other variables to be able to infer anything from when they start talking. I'm sure your dc will start talking when he's good and ready.

My son is 2.5. He says about 5 words. I've been told repeatedly by health professionals that it's nothing to do with intelligence. My OH didn't speak until he was 4, you wouldn't know it now.

No, I don't think there's a connection.

Generally it isn’t, but at 20 months I would be asking the GP or health visitor about it. No professional qualifications but mum of 6 x

One of my children was quite slow to talk but turned out to be extremely intelligent. I think I was slow to talk as well, so maybe there’s an hereditary element.

20 months is very young. Speak to the HV or GP if worried.

The Chris Packham Autism Documentary had a young-ish man on it who didn't communicate at all verbally but the stuff he wrote was emotionally mature and complex, and he completed a Masters. So no, verbosity isn't the only measure of intelligence.
I have a family member who didn't speak til nearly four but also learnt to read an analogue clock face at the same time. That person did a professional degree in their area of interest, is successful in their career (and has to communicate with clients as well as knowing their stuff professionally) has a happy marriage (as far as one can ever tell!) and is bringing up some wonderful kids. They were also really popular in school, confident and self assured. One of those people where if you didn't love the you'd hate them due to envy!
I'm unconvinced age of speech onset tells you anything much. Apparently Einstein didn't speak til 4 but most kids who don't speak til 4 don't grow up to be ground breaking physicists.

My eldest DS didn’t talk until he was over 2. The health visitor was concerned when she visited for younger DS but I never was as I knew he understood what was being said around him and could follow instructions. I would have been concerned if he hadn’t seemed to understand. When he did start talking he was very quick to fluency and now at 15 he seems pretty bright (top sets at school).

clearly though there will be examples where not speaking until late is a cause for concern.

Nope, my youngest didn’t start talking until she literally had something to say. She is probably genius IQ but never had her tested.

No for us it was a sign of ADHD! Chatter chatter chatter chatter

If that was the case then a scientific study would have proved it. It wouldn’t be hard to study because you could record speech development and compare it to IQ at a later age.

When you meet an adult, can you tell if they were an early talker or not? No you can’t.

It’s the same as Olympians not necessarily being early walkers- there’s no correlation

Two of mine were slow talkers. One of them turned out to have hearing issues. Once those were resolved talks fine and does well academically at school.

Another was slow to talk for no obvious reason - barely said anything until about 3. I was getting pretty worried but chats away now and is exceptionally bright

My anecdotal evidence says not. I was 2.5 before I said my first ever word. My first word was "me want a bana". My DD said "no" and nothing else for a VERY long time and then moved straight to full sentences. We are both ASD but both intelligent. I have a STEM degree and a very senior job in science.

There's a big 'normal' range in terms of learning to talk. Remember also that language is a two-way street: receptive and expressive. Ask your DD 'where's your nose?' and see if she points to it; this will show you her receptive language processing ability.

Autistic people are usually 'gestalt language processors', meaning that they learn sentences or figures of speech rather than single words. This also usually means that they start speaking later than usual. However, they might start reading earlier (hyperlexia).

Not at all. Einstein didn't talk until he was 3. My son (gifted) didn't speak early (but used sign language early). Lots of geniuses started speaking late (I think it's called Einstein syndrome). I guess they realise it's more important to listen than talk.

I have 2 children one was speaking full sentences at 18 months the other was only saying odd words at 3 both now have degrees and good jobs

"Autistic people are usually 'gestalt language processors', meaning that they learn sentences or figures of speech rather than single words. This also usually means that they start speaking later than usual. However, they might start reading earlier (hyperlexia)."

I genuinely didn't know this, despite the amount of autism in the family.

I first spoke at nearly 2 but could read at 2 (primary-school teacher parent, and a 4-yr-old brother). And yes, my first 'word' was a sentence.

I have a Cambridge PhD, for what it's worth, and a most excellent memory for turns of phrase, to the point that accidental plagiarism was always an academic risk.