What should I do if my two-and-a-half-year-old baby can't speak clearly?

If a two-and-a-half-year-old child has unclear speech, appropriate management can be chosen based on the underlying cause. The main causes include non-medical factors and medical conditions, with common medical conditions including autism and tongue-tie.

1. Non-medical factors

Unclear speech may result from immature physical development and incomplete maturation of the language centers in the brain. In most cases, speech clarity gradually improves with age, and no specific treatment is required.

2. Medical factors

1) Autism

If poor development of the brain's language areas due to autism leads to intellectual or language impairments, antipsychotic medications such as quetiapine fumarate tablets or risperidone tablets may be used under a doctor's guidance. Additionally, treatments such as behavioral analysis therapy and speech correction therapy administered by specialists can help improve overall functioning.

2) Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia)

If restricted tongue movement due to a short lingual frenulum affects normal articulation, surgical interventions such as frenotomy or frenuloplasty may be recommended by a physician to improve speech clarity.

In addition, conditions such as cleft lip and palate may also contribute. It is advisable to seek timely medical evaluation and follow the doctor’s recommendations for treatment.