My son is 2 Years old and he's having trouble speaking. My Dr. says he has something called Pervasive Developmental Disorder. He is comprehending a lot better these days, but he's just not talking. His dad and I work with him and try to help him to pronounce words. It seems his attention span is short and he's very easily distracted so sometimes it's hard for us to teach him new things. He's very healthy and understands mostly what you tell him, but he can't verbally communicate. Do you have any special Tips for his dad and I ? We really love our son & just want for him to communicate with us. Can you give us some tips? Thank you

Christine Brown

Did you discuss with your doctor a program for helping him?

I hate to say this but you might be part of the problem. I say this because you originally posted this question in the Forum Help area. To get to that forum you have to scroll past several other forums, including this one or the children forum either of which was a more appropriate place to post. You also ignored the bold red Read Me First admonition that the forum Help area was ONLY for asking questions about using this site. These things lead me to believe that you are either impatient or not prone to following instructions.

2 year olds DO have a short attention span. There little brains are busy absorbing all the new things they encounter.

When you are working with him, do you sit him down? I would maybe not do that. Make everything you do a part of learning. If you are putting dishes away - identify what you are doing. If you are giving him a bath, identify what you are doing. Show him the bath toys - tell him there names, etc.

Also, if he can not speak - try teaching him sign language. Kids his age can pick it up quickly. You could learn together. Communication isn't always talking. If he can't - then you need to find alternatives.

I agree on the sign language. My son was a slow to speak kid. He loved the baby einstein "First signs" DVD. He still asks to watch it, and is mesmerized by it. He can do all the signs, and was doing a couple after the first 2-3 times watching it. Even a little something to help him communicate might give him the confidence to try a few words to go along with it.