My son is 2 yr 10 months old & he is not properly talking. He speaks only single words. Can you suggest me what should I do?

At 2 years old, toddlers can say about 100 words, and close to 300 words by the time they reach 2 1/2 years. Rule of thumb says that kids should be able to say one word at about 1 year, two-word combinations at 18 months to 2 years, and three-word sentences before they turn 3 years old. But the pace can vary from child to child. It’s interesting to note that 1 in every 4 children is a late talker. So try not to panic if your child isn’t as articulate as you’d like him/her to be. To understand why a kid’s a late bloomer, here’s a list of typical reasons behind the speech delay: 1) Boys - There’s usually a 2- to 3-month lag between girls and boys. At 16 months, girls are able to use an average of 50 words, while boys use only about 30. 2) Chronic ear infection - Lingering fluid from a middle ear infection is a common cause of speech delay because the fluid buildup makes it hard for kids to mimic the sounds of words they hear. 3) Preemies - Premature babies often reach their milestones later than usual, but they normally catch up at 2 years old. 4) Multiples - Around 50% of multiples has some language delay, according to speech pathologists. Low birth weight, prematurity, medical intervention at birth are big factors. 5) Focusing on other skills - While your child may be speaking fewer words than as expected for kids his/her age, see if he/she is quite adept at other skills like walking. If your child is progressing on schedule with his/her overall development, it may just be that your child is focused on perfecting other skills first before developing the talking skill. It is advised, however, to seek an evaluation with your pediatrician should your child at almost 3 years old speak less than 25 words and is not able to string them together into 2-word sentences. Here are some other signs to watch out for with kids over 2 years old: - can only imitate speech or actions; - doesn’t produce words or phrases spontaneously; - says only select words or sounds repeatedly; - can’t follow simple directions; - has a raspy or nasal sounding tone of voice; - pronunciation is hard to understand; and - is harder to understand than as expected with kids his/her age (parents should be able to understand half of what 2-year-olds say, and about 3/4 of what 3-year-olds say). Sources: - http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/language/speech-development-in-toddlers/ - http://www.parenting.com/article/speech-delays - http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/not-talk.html#