Q: My son is 3.2 years old and is in LKG. In the class, he does not answer his teacher's questions, but at home he repeats numbers and words after me. He can easily speak small words like apple and banana. I keep getting complaints from his teacher that he does not speak loudly in the class. How do I help my child improve his speaking skills? We stay in Dubai. There are no children of his age in our building, but I am sending him to our neighbour's house so that he can develop his speech. Is there a problem with my child? Do I need to take him to a speech therapist? His mother is not educated, so only I teach him. Kindly advise.

A:Let your son grow up naturally and at his own pace. There is no need to worry about his soft voice. He has no problem. Some children take more time to speak clearly. He is hearing two or three languages (mother tongue and school language), and it may be confusing for him. It will all get sorted out and he will be alright. Tell him stories and read picture books to him. Encourage him to ask for what he wants. Let him play with other children. His shyness will go away gradually.