I have a son that just turned 3 yrs old and he doesnt say sentences! He will say mommy, daddy, sisters name, juice,etc. But wont say like " Mommy I want juice." He has excellent eye contact, he loves to kiss and hug those who are close to him and strangers. He smiles,winks, laughs! If I tell him to say a word he repeats it but never uses it on his own.(except for mommy, daddy) He just points at what he wants untill I make him say it. I guess i just want to know if there is something wrong or he is just going take longer to talk. Pls write back

If his understanding of speech is good, but he has trouble actually saying the words, he may have speech apraxia. I think it is worth looking into.

there are a ton of things it "could" be or it might be he just is lazy:) for sure though dont put it off and go get it checked out. if there is a problem of ANY sort getting it taken care now as opposed to later is a good idea. your doctor can refer your son for a speech eval and if you feel that it may be more than just a verbal delay then push to have a full developmental screening. he may turn out fine on that but its better to be safe then have regrets later down the road that you may have sat on your son's issues for too long. we regret most with our son that we didnt push to have anwsers sooner... isaac lost a whole year of services that would have helped him tremendously because we waited for someone else to take the lead in his care and that never happened. isaac's autism has only increased since he was 2. he was born autistic but his sensory issues and out of control behavior began to take over then. we didnt get him diagnosed for over a year and now at almost 5 progress is soooo slow and he is sooooo set in his stimming and rituals that its very difficult to have much of a relationship with him like we use to when he was young.

if you're worried pushed to have it checked:)

There is a speech therapist online at the Parent.com Toddler Message Board until June 2. I even think that some people have posted similar questions there.

You already have good advise! But I cannot preach enough about working with your child one on one! First widen his vocabulary- Ten minures of every hour check in with him, take him by the hand and or hold him close and name all the objects around him talk to him about what he is playing with, what is it, what color, what shape, etc. Sit down with him at a table for @ 15min doing a puzzel, naming the pieces, drawing, painting etc. It's also time to be stubbron if he wants something make him ask for it. tell him what you want him to say, have him repeat you, then after a month or so just say what do you want? and give him a chance to say it. Becareful of what you say, keep it short and to the point. Please was a good starter word for my son, if he didn't know the name of what he wanted he could just say please and I would give it to him. The sooner you work with him and get support the more he will accomplish.