Observe your child's developmental milestones as they relate to hus speech and language development. At each stage in your child's development, he should exhibit age-appropriate behaviors that will indicate that he reaches developmental milestones on schedule. Children vary in their development. Developmental milestones are averages. Also, some children develop "ahead of schedule" physically, while their speech and language development progresses at a slower rate. If you see that your child's speech development lags behind the average at a significant level (more than a few months), monitor the situation closely.
Schedule a hearing test. Hearing loss is one of the most common causes of speech and language delays. A speech therapist or child development professional will want to ascertain whether a hearing loss contributes to the speech delay. The hearing test will also provide information about the type of hearing loss, its severity, and whether you can do anything else (hearing aids) to assist the child's speech and language development.
Contact your pediatrician to request a developmental assessment if the hearing test does not indicate that the child suffers from a hearing loss. Other factors may account for a hearing loss, including autism, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities and apraxia of speech. Professional therapists and educators can help the child and the family find strategies to develop the child's language potential after they understand the reason for the delay. The University of Michigan Medical School noted: "The earlier your child gets help, the greater their progress will be. And if they turn out to be a late bloomer, the extra attention to their speech will not have hurt in any way."