I’ve a gorgeous almost 3 yrs (and 8 months) old nephew. He is very bright and cheeky .. does understand all his sharartein and so on .. but the problem is that he still does not speak fluently or should I say “understandable” ? .. We do understand some of the words and he just recently started to say those words clearly .. I know not every child is the same, but I have never seen this in my family before that, a child almost 4 yrs, isnt able to say one clear understandable sentence. Although he is very chatty, he does say lots of stuff, just not all very understandable 
.. I did read on the forum that a member had a son who was speech delayed, I’m now wondering whether it is the case with my nephew too? How can one know for sure? Beside, I would like to know when your kids started to make full clear sentence or how you improved their speaking?
His mom is not so chatty.. She doesnt talk much IMO. And I dont think she spends so much time talking with him either as she has 2 other kids aged 2 and 6 months as well .. I’m thinking their could be a link, since my mom is very chatty and we all spoke clearly at an early age.. ?
Re: Speak clearly?
Sweetmoi, I have one son with definite speech delay and one son who WAS speech delayed but no longer has issues.
In US, there is a national program called Early Intervention which is provided to any child age 3 or under for free. If you suspect any type of delay, you call the local office and they arrange an evaluation - in your home and at no cost. If the child is found to be delayed by 25 percent or more then speech (or whatever other kind of therapy) is provided to the child - in his/her home and again at no charge to the parent. After age 3, similar services are provided through the local school district. I think there is a similar program in Europe but am not quite sure about that.
If they live elsewhere, start with the pediatrician or with websites that have interactive evaluations that the parents can take. They can give a better indication of whether the child is just a late talker or if there may be some kind of issue.
My youngest son, it turns out, was just a late talker. But because we have the eldest who clearly has delays, the youngest was given speech therapy and it took such a small amount of time for him to catch up.
Best wishes to the little guy!
but the problem is that he still does not speak fluently or should I say "understandable" ?
You say the mom is not "chatty" - this has a lot to do with it. Mostly kids in such early age ONLY get their info from a mom. If the mom is not too knowledgeable or if she does not communicate with the kids - and just leave them with "kids being kids" kinda stuff - then the child does not have much to talk about either.
I don't think this is speech delay. You say he talks " but not in understandable" manner... could it be because he was not given enough knowledge to begin with ? Does he watch cartoon? Is he a loner? Does he get enough exposure from many relative adults? or is he just with the mom most of the time?
(I am just presuming - not pointing faults in the mom or anything)
Re: Speak clearly?
First step should be seeing his paediatrician with the speech concerns and inquiring about a referral to Early Intervention services, if necessary. I have dealt with EI myself, and its easier going through your doctor with a referral, than calling them yourself. But do not by pass the doctor, they will look at the whole picture :)
Re: Speak clearly?
I have a friend who’s son wasn’t talking, just few words at the same age of your nephew.
He was given speech therapy at his school by some speech therapist and every thing was arranged by the school. He’s speech is improved and he can talk more clearly now.
In your nephew’s case, I think he’s the eldest and eldest kids are usually delayed and as you told us that his mum doesn’t talk to him much…so if we’re not talking to kids so how can we expect them to pick up the language quickly and easily?
Some parents find it hard to talking to their kids as they don’t know what to talk about.
There’s a dvd i watched and learnt a lot from it…buy it if you can and give it to his mum as a present.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEv-ZtEGmfE)
Re: Speak clearly?
The little one would really need to be seen by an SLP - Speech Language Pathologist - to determine whether there is a problem or if there is just not enough language usage going on in his life. When there is an only child and even if the parents are quiet people, language still usually develops in a typical pattern. When there is a lag, speech therapy can in most cases clear up any issues and have them all resolved before the child reaches kindergarten age.
Re: Speak clearly?
Thank you Mamaof3 .. I'll try to see if we have such program available here too. :)
NJMasti
He just started going to kindergarten in august and I do think it has helped him a lot to be with other kids and adult, because he is now able to say quite a few words clearly in danish. He is not a loner, but he does have two younger brothers (aged 2 yrs and 5 months) so I think their mother do have a busy routine and therefor maybe is not able to have long conversations with him. I do think he watches cartoon, but they are also in danish - not urdu/punjabi. About adult relatives .. wel usually he is with his mother mostly except 4 hours pr day where he attends kindergarten .. They visit us during the weekend and then he is mostly with my younger siblings and they do speak a lot to him and he does catch up some words in danish mostly, which are difficult for him to remember till next time since he mum only speaks urdu ..
Actually the reason for my concern is also that his younger brother aged 2 doesnt speak much either. He is normally not much chatty and I think I've only heard him saying "mama" a handful of times. So it made me wonder whether one could say its the lack of exposure to language that is the prime source for them not being able to talk or they are indeed speech delayed and need therapy. My bhabhi says that the nurse showed concern about the younger bro, but not the elder one .. although their family doctor says "its normal and not every child is not the same" ..
But thanks a lot for the comments and info .. I'll try to see what sort of treatment there is available here and what they say about it ...
Hi Sweetmoi,
Below is a website about speech delays/disorders. If there is a problem, it is better to get it diagnosed and corrected early. I’m a teacher, and I’ve seen kids at various ages attend speech therapy. It is true that kids develop differently. I remember when teaching preschool, I had a few kids who hardly made verbal sense in the beginning of the year, but as the school year progressed and they were regularly exposed to story books, songs, peer-interaction…they improved greatly. So to help the situation, expose your nephew to various language interactions.
Read-alouds especially are VERY beneficial and research supports their numerous advantages and positive impact on a child’s development. As you read to a child, you’re modeling fluency and what proper language sounds like, allowing the child to gradually internalize how good spoken language sounds like. This enables the child to gradually try to copy the adult’s way of speaking language…and it also builds reading comprehension, strengthens critical thinking process, and improves writing process. Trust me…read-alouds are POWERFUL for both boys and girls at any age. It’s my favorite strategy to use.
Dramatic play. Here is another socializing strategy implemented in preschool. Kids engage in dramatic play during play time. Simply get involved while your nephew is playing. Ask him what he’s doing/playing. EVEN BETTER… play with him! Pretend you’re a character and act like it. Speak like the character. For example, pretend and talk like a dinosaur, or a super hero, or cop/robber. In a fun way, your nephew will be exposed to language skills. And it can motivate him to converse with you while playing his part/role.
These are just a few strategies that I’ve learned as a teacher. But it’s better to also get a professional opinion from a pediatrician or speech pathologist. I hope everything works out for your nephew. Here’s the link:
Your Child | Speech and Language Delays and Disorders