Delayed Developement

My 4yr.old son is approx.4ft.2in and does not speak clearly. He follows commands,recognizes mother, father, grandparents and 13 yr.old cousin, however, his vocabuary is limited and will only repeat more words when told exactly what to say. His pediatrician says that he has delayed development but has not identified the cause. He also throws things and at times get very frustrated. At times he sits with his hand under his chin and appears to be pondering, other times he plays with his and other peoples ears. Needless to say, pre-k has been a disaster. Need to know next steps.

Desperate mother

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your son is displaying a level of developmental delay that requires professional assessment. Try to arrange evaluations by several developmental specialists: developmental pediatrician, developmental psychologist, speech and language therapist, occupational therapist, child psychiatrist. Some teaching hospitals and other health care institutions sponsor clinical units that have all these specialties under one roof. They are often called Developmenatl Evaluation Clinics or some such name. Your son should be receiving special services, including (but not limited to) speech and language therapy through his public school. Be sure to seek an evaluation under the provisions of Chapter 766 of the special education laws.