Question
Is it normal for a 4.5-year-old child to only say ‘Dad’? Parents may be worried that their child’s condition might worsen.
Answer
Being able to call out ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’ generally rules out the possibility of being mute. However, if a child has a very limited vocabulary, it may be considered a language development delay. It is recommended that parents take their child to the hospital for an assessment to determine their level of language development, including language comprehension and expression abilities, and to identify the causes of the delay. If the child’s comprehension ability is age-appropriate but their expressive ability lags behind, it might be developmental verbal dyspraxia (commonly known as ’talking late’), which typically improves with age. If there are other causes, such as partial hearing loss, mental retardation, autism, etc., appropriate interventions and treatments should be based on the specific cause.