Q: My son is 2 and a half years old. He is not able to speak. His ENT tests were done a year back and the doctor assured that my son will definitely speak. I have put my son on speech therapy. He used to speak a few words till last year, then he suddenly stopped speaking (partially) because he got high fever with the temperatue shooting up to 102/103 degree Farenheit. Doctors said that this could also be the reason for the delayed speech. I consulted a psychiatrist and a physchologist, they said that my son is normal. Where can we get an MRI test done for my son in Delhi? Will ayurvedic medicine help my son's speech problem? When I call my son, he does not respond, though his ENT test are normal, but when I shout at him with a louder voice, he responds and looks at me. What could be the reason for this? Will a psychologist be able to help my son to some extent?

A:If your 2 and a half year old son has isolated delayed speech it means he is developmentally normal i.e. his milestones are appropriate for age and his hearing is normal, then with time and speech therapy his speech should develop. So I suggest get his hearing evaluation done which I am sure your ENT doctor would have done. Also get in touch with a developmental paediatrician who shall do an objective assessment for his neurological development. Those babies who are developmentally slow may have delayed speech. In absence of any neurological abnormality with normal milestones and absence of any risk factors since newborn period like fits etc. and a normal head size, I don't think MRI is going to help. Consult your paediatrician whether he really needs a MRI, which can be done in Delhi e.g. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. What I would suggest is that if all these assessments are fine, just relax continue speech therapy and don't put too much pressure on the child and I am sure he would start speaking with time.