my 29 months old boy cant communicate perfectly

my boy is two and a half months old, he's agile, full of energy,can gesticulate well but can't articulate his speech well.unlike his sister who started talking before age one. Is all well with him?

Thanks
Alooma
Lagos, Nigeria.

[Eileen Roscoe, PhD]

There is a wide range of individual differences with respect to the emergence of speech. Speech begins with single word utterances and then progresses as from single word to two word utterances until larger number of words are strung together. Speech also takes different forms, with some forms serving the purpose of labeling different objects in the environment which often results in social praise from a caregiver, whereas other forms of speech serve the purpose of requesting items and results in access to those items. From your description, it is difficult to tell whether or not your son has a speech delay. Because of the discrepancy among individuals within the normal range of speech development, emergence that is slower than that observed for his sister does not necessarily mean he has a delay. I recommend that you discuss your concerns with your son's pediatrician, who will most likely refer you to have your son assessed by early intervention specialist who can determine whether or not your son's speech development is delayed. In addition, your pediatrician can refer your son to have his hearing checked to make sure that his speech issues are not related to difficulties with his hearing.