Finding Help for Preschooler's Speech Problems

I have a 3 1/2-year-old great-grandson who can only say a few words. I have tried to help him, but he still can't talk. Can you help me? - Very Worried
Answer: Your great-grandson needs help, and he needs it now. According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, young children with speech problems very often have difficulty acquiring early reading skills. Many of these children are later diagnosed as having a learning disability. You don't want this to happen to your great-grandson.
What you need to do is immediately contact or have the child's parents contact your local school district to find out who to talk to in order to get the child evaluated (free) and placed in an appropriate program (free) if he needs special services. If you do not meet with success at the school, contact your state coordinator of Section 619, which is part of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. To find out who this person is, you should visit the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center Web site at www.nectac.org. This advice is good for the parents of all young children at least 3 years old, who are concerned about the development of their children in such areas as speech, hearing, motor skills, emotions, thinking skills and so on.
There is also help available under Part C of IDEA for children from birth to age 3. This is a separate program that every state has for infants and toddlers who have a developmental delay or a diagnosed condition likely to result in one. The evaluation is done at no cost to families; however, there could be a sliding- scale fee for services. Because schools are not the leading agencies for these services that are often administered by state health or social-service agencies, you will need to contact NECTAC to find out who the state coordinator for these services is. If parents have any concerns about the development of their young children, they really should have them evaluated as soon as possible.