First Words - Lincoln,NE

Yes Yes Yes! Hi K.! I am a Preschool teacher and my husband is a speech therapist so we often talk about these things... It is very possible that your son is not hearing because of fluid in his ears... if he is not hearing he will not be talking... has your pediatrician talked to you about tubes? Anyway, I would definitely talk to your doctor and do anything else possible to educate yourself... early intervention is the key! Good Luck!

Don't let anyone freak you out with all that "testing talk". I've known lots of little boys and most of them like to take their sweet time. But there is always one person that will make a comment ("Well, my son had the dictionary memorized by the time he came home from the hospital...") that makes a mother concerned. 17 months is not very old... don't let anyone scare you into it.

K.,
I think it is so hard to tell if one child is "falling behind" in something. Kids are SO different. I have one nephew who is 2 1/2 and he can carry on a full conversation, and another nephew who is 2 wks older than the other and I can barely understand a few words he says. My sister has taken him twice to get him checked and they say he is fine (he just has problems forming the words in his mouth). Kids just learn things at different paces. Your son could just be focusing a lot on physical acheivements right now and will catch up on language when he is ready. Also, it could very well be his ears. My 11 mo old just had tubes put in her ears for constant ear infections over the last three months and she has been "talking" a lot more since! But it NEVER hurts to have him checked!!! It is free, and if there are problems it is best to catch them early!
Hope this helps!
S.

I think you should probably start by talking to your son's doctor. Also, my daughter got her hearing tested a couple times at Lincoln Public Schools District Office. I'm not sure where you live, but it was free to get her hearing tested at LPS.