Q: My son is 2 years old and he is still not able to talk except a few words like papa and amma. I would like to know whether there is any problem with him? What is the actual age for boys to start talking? Secondly, I would also like to know that why do children get scared? Is there any specific reason because for a couple of days I have been noticing that my son is awake at night sitting alone frightened and sometimes refuses to come to us and is upset; he kicks us a lot in sleep. Is there any specific reason for this or what could the reason be?

A:The child should be investigated to rule out any neurological involvement. Please contact your physician who can then refer you to the appropriate clinic/hospital. It is hazardous to project possible diagnoses based on information available. The child could be completely normal and just going through some problem which is hindering his speech development. The kicking could be an involuntary spasmodic electrical activity of the brain.