Your toddler's early language skills—how they name objects, form sentences, and share ideas—matter for their thinking and learning abilities later on. Research suggests kids who talk later tend to have lower reasoning abilities in midlife, though early speech is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. The good news? Early language development explains only about 7% of adult intelligence, so it's far from the whole story. What helps: reading together, talking to your baby throughout your day, and having natural conversations about what you're doing. If you're noticing your child seems slow to talk, chatting with your pediatrician gives you peace of mind and access to early support if needed.