Speech

My son who will be three in February is still not talking.  He probably only says about ten words and shows no signs of being interested in speaking.  I try to get him to mimic me but he shakes his head no.  We had his hearing tested last Spring and it was normal.  He understands ALOT and seems to take in everything!!!  There are no other developmental problems- could this just be lack of motivation to speak, and if so what can I do?!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

With so little use of language at this age, you should definitely arrange a Speech/Language evaluation. This would help pin down what might be contributing to the delay.

[justme]

Take a look at the ApraxiaKids website. There is a difference between a child experiencing developmental delay in speech and language, and a child with normal communication skills (speech rhythms, understanding, etc) who cannot or is impared creating the speech to communicate.  Both have good opportunity for success, but the latter requires specialized, more intensive therapy to achieve maximum potential.