Expert Q&A

	By Mindy Hudon Speech and Language Pathologist

My son is 22 months old and says only two words: "baboo" for bottle and "bah" for ball. He has no interest in attempting any other language sounds and never mimics any words/phrases we use. He communicates predominantly in gestures, grunts, "quacks" and other noises. He appears to have an advanced understanding of spoken instruction, however! I am somewhat concerned about this lack of speech development and have discussed my concerns with his pediatrician who recommended hearing tests to rule out any possible hearing defect. The tests came back completely negative, confirming no hearing problems. My son's nursery teachers have also expressed concern. What are my next steps?

Typically, by 18 months you can see a child using 10-20 single words. By 24 months a child may have between 50-100 words and will start putting 2-3 words together to form sentences, "more cookie." Of course, every child develops differently. You have done the right thing by discussing your concerns with your pediatrician. It is good that your son's hearing test came back negative; however, some children can still have speech and language delays even if they have normal hearing. I would recommend having a speech and language evaluation by a certified clinician. A speech-language pathologist will be able to determine if a delay exists, if treatment is warranted and will be able to provide you with training on how best to communicate with your son. Your pediatrician may be able to refer you to a speech-language pathologist in your area. Also, you can contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association at (800) 638-8255 or visit the Web site at www.asha.org to locate a certified clinician."

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