Child with Developmental Delay in Language

Reader’s Question

I have a son, only one, who is not speaking up to now. His age is nearly four. I’m worried that he’ll be autistic. His behavior is absolutely normal. I tested his hearing, normal. But he can say only a little, such as aaapaaa, aaamaaa. One important thing is he doesn’t know his name. And although his hearing is good, he doesn’t look when called. Now, we let him go to nursery daily. But even after three months, he has little progress. Please, advise us what we can do.

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

By the time a child is four years old, they should know their name, speak in short sentences, tell stories, use future tense in language, count to ten, name several colors, have names for most objects in the home, eat and dress independently (except tying shoes), and enjoy singing and dancing (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics). Your child is showing a developmental delay in language and maybe in other areas. I would recommend taking your son to a child psychologist or a child developmental clinic. Many universities that train physicians and psychologists have clinics that evaluate children for these delays.

As a parent, you have made the correct observations and performed the correct assessments. When children have delayed speech, a hearing test is always our first response. With normal behavior, this may be a specific delay in language. Only a full assessment can tell you what areas of development are delayed.

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