[Source, New York Times, February 8, 2010]

There is nothing simple about speech, and there is nothing simple about
speech delay — starting with the challenge of diagnosing it.

Every pediatrician knows the frustration of trying to quantify the
speech and language skills of a screaming toddler. How many words can he
say? Can she put two or more words together into a sentence? Can people
besides you understand him when he talks? Questions like these, put to
the parents, are the quick and somewhat crude yardsticks we often use.

Crude or not, the assessment is crucial: the earlier it is made, the
earlier the speech-delayed child can get some help, and the earlier the
help, the better the prospects.

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