Speech Delays

While some of my friends were busy uploading videos of their babies talking, I was busy uploading my son's dance skills videos. It's because my son doesn't really talk that much yet. He only speak few words. At first, we are worried for him. Some babies talk as early as 12 months or less. As I consult it to his pedia, the doctor said it is normal for some kids to have speech delay. But being a thorough mother, I want to check the signs if my son's development are still acceptable or do I need to be concerned? I need reassurance. This is what I found in my Smart Parenting Book Guide. Read this:


A speech delay is basically a communication disorder among children who fail to converse properly when compared with other children of the same age. The cause may be because the child is busy learning other skills or she does not get much attention on her speech. Poor balanced diet and emotional stress may also contribute to speech delay. Those children whose parents are abusive are likely to have speech delay, mainly due to lack of communication. At times, physical causes such as mental retardation also lead to speech delay.
Remember that just like other areas of development, a child develops verbally at her own pace. Some toddlers can already point out their body parts before they walk, others not well into their second year. Whatever the case, be patient; as long as you are exposing her to talking, then you just have to sit back and let nature take its course.
However, according to BabyCenter, bring her to your pediatrician if:

At 12 months, he/she:

• doesn't use gestures such as waving or shaking her head
• isn't participating using at least a couple of consonants (p, b, etc.)
• isn't somehow communicating to you when she needs help with something

At 15 months, he/she:

• doesn't understand and respond to words such as "no" and "bye-bye"
• can't say at least one to three words
• doesn't say "mama" or "dada"

At 16 months, he/she:

• doesn't point to body parts when asked

At 18 months, he/she:

• isn't saying at least six to ten words

At 19 to 20 months, he/she:

• isn't pointing out things of interest, such as a bird or an airplane overhead
• isn't making at least six consonant sounds

At 21 months, he/she:

• doesn't respond to simple directions
• doesn't play pretend with her toys or herself (brushing her hair, feeding her stuffed toy, etc.)

At 24 months, he/she:

• doesn't imitate actions or words of others
• can't point to named pictures in a book
• can't join two words together
• doesn't know the function of common household objects - toothbrush, telephone, fork, etc.

At 26 months, he/she:

• uses no two-word simple sentences

At 30 months, he/she:

• can't name at least three body parts
• can't be understood by anyone in her family

At 32 months, he/she:

• has difficulty singing fragments of nursery rhymes

At 36 months, he/she:

• doesn't ask questions
• can't be understood by strangers at least half the time
• is unable to articulate initial consonants (for example, says "all" instead of "ball")
• is unable to name most common household objects

SOURCE: The Smart Mom's Guide To The Toddler Years (13 to 36 months)

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My son is in his 20th month. As I see it, there's no need for me to be alarmed. He can point to things and he knows his body parts. He understand words and has a connecting actions with it. His diet may be causing all these because he still has poor appetite. He is now officially a picky eater at this stage. Sigh. I have to find a way for him to eat more! I know growth and development differ from one kid to another.I know my son will talk in his own sweet time. But I'll keep this pointers in mind.