My 2 1/2 year old son still doesnt talk?

Question

HELP!!! i get anxious nowadays, my son is already 2.5 yrs and still not talking., is it normal?? well,. he maintains eye contact when i am talking to him., he speaks word when i told him to say it but doesn't really converse with me.., he likes children and likes playing with them too... he is potty trained already and knows alot of stuff in the house.. my friends say that the environment in my house affects the delay of him talking,. my mom and my son are the ones usually in the house., he doesn't have a permanent playmate because he is always inside the house, we usually go on malls on weekends.

but then again., is it normal to be delayed in talking?

Answer 1

Well maybe you need to speak to him more. Read him storys, he'll understand more and might want to start talking.

Answer 2

You may need to force the issue with him talking.  Having him around other kids his age will help.  Have your mom take him to the park during the day or put him in a play group or something.  Early Childhood 2's classes would be good too.  But you may have to start what my husband and I did when we gained sole custody of his little boy who's almost 3.  We make him say the word or he doesn't get what he wants.  Whether it's juice or a snack he has to say the word.  Even if he wants to be held he needs to say up or he doesn't get it.  It may seem mean, but even if you put him in speech therapy (which may be necessary) they will tell you the same thing.  He will whine and cry a little but eventually start to just do it on his own.  We are having my step son evaluated to see if he needs speech therapy because he is almost 3 and still talks very little (his mom barely talked to him, and he had no books or toys in her house).  

Answer 3

I didn't talk until I was 4, my grandma didn't either.  My first daughter started talking at 3 and a half.  They sometimes classify this as a developmental delay.  My daughter has been in speech since she was 4 years old and talks great!  I was quite suprised to find out they were going to keep her in for one more year.  I was in it for 3 years as a child.  I think that in most cases, it just depends on when the child is ready to speak.  If you are that worried, schedule an appoitment with your Dr.  He will be able to tell you if he thinks that there might be another problem.  Rest assured, though, we are all fine.