If your infant has delayed speech marked by missed developmental milestones, you have reason for concern. Speech delays can indicate various problems including a vitamin B12 deficiency, congenital disorders, or a hearing problem. Missed developmental milestones are cause to call your doctor, but they do not always indicate a serious health condition.

Speech Development Basics

Babies and toddlers normally reach basic speech milestones by a certain age, according to information from the Mayo Clinic. By the end of three months babies start cooing and use repetitive syllables by the end of six months. At the end of 12 months, your baby’s vocabulary should consist of a few basic words like “uh-oh” and “mama.” By the end of 18 months, babies typically say up to 10 words.

Neglect

Infants suffer from delayed speech due to parental neglect like imposed malnourishment. Physically deprived infants suffering from malnutrition have increased incidences of delayed speech, according to information from the June 1999 issue of the journal “American Family Physician.” It explains speech delays are far more likely to occur in abused children who are also neglected.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Infants may have delayed speech because of vitamin B12 deficiency, which is a result of the mother’s diet. In two case studies, a vitamin B12, or cobalamin, deficiency was associated with delayed speech and other symptoms, according to information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In both cases the mothers were vegetarian. One 15-month baby girl diagnosed with a vitamin B12 deficiency presented with failure to thrive including poor appetite and regular vomiting. A baby-boy presented with delayed growth and development, by 11 months he had poor speech and motor development. Doctors confirmed a diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency in the mothers and the children as the problem.

Creatine Deficiency

Infants develop a cerebral creatine deficiency due to a congenital problem inhibiting the transporter of this nutrient to the brain, according to information from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. With this genetic disorder, the brain becomes malnourished. Cerebral creatine deficiency presents between three months and three years. Almost all patients have a vocabulary of less than 10 words and seizures. Since the discovery of this congenital defect only 94 individuals from 45 families have been diagnosed.

Suffering from nausea when you wake up in the morning while you’re dieting is an indication of an underlying metabolic or health problem and has a connection with your overall health, the purpose of your diet, the foods and beverages you are consuming and any medication you may be taking. Consult your doctor if you experience morning nausea to identify the source and prescribe a treatment to remedy the problem.

Diet

A diet is a prescribed course of eating and drinking certain types of foods and beverages at specific times during a 24-hour period for therapeutic purposes to lose or gain weight, provide proper nutrition during pregnancy or treat a particular medical condition. Adhering to your diet may help you achieve your health objective. Experiencing nausea in the morning during your diet can be a sign of losing or gaining weight too fast concurrent with too little or too much nutrient intake, or it can be a sign of an underlying medical problem.

Nausea

Nausea, also called upset stomach, is a sick queasy feeling in your stomach often accompanied by the urge to vomit or actual vomiting of food from your stomach. Nausea and vomiting can be symptoms of numerous conditions, including infections, gastrointestinal disease, overeating, under-eating or more serious health problems, such as cancer, kidney and liver diseases, migraines and neurological disorders. Nausea and vomiting also occur as a result of pregnancy or cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nausea or vomiting occurring shortly after a meal may indicate an ulcer, whereas nausea or vomiting occurring between one to eight hours after a meal may indicate food poisoning. Vomiting can cause dehydration.

Morning Nausea

Morning nausea occurs when you wake up after not having eaten a meal since the prior evening — which typically involves eight or more hours of fasting — and can be accompanied by lightheadedness, fainting, blurred vision, confusion, pale skin, headache and fever. Morning nausea is not a life-threatening complication, but can suppress your appetite and cause dehydration. You need to drink water or other liquids during and especially between meals each day to reduce the risk of dehydration that may occur should you experience morning nausea. Morning nausea is especially common among pregnant women or people taking certain medications.

Treatment

Your doctor can identify the source of the nausea and prescribe treatments to remedy the problem, which may include the BRAT diet, fluid replacement or medication. The BRAT diet is an effective and temporary nutrition plan during periods when you experience nausea. It consists of bananas, rice, apples and toast. Drink plenty of fluids, but avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Eat these foods after six hours from the time you vomited. Continue eating these foods for one or two days until your nausea has ceased and your stomach feels back to normal, and then resume your prior diet plan. However, if you experience nausea again, reintroduce the BRAT diet.

By age 7, the human brain has grown to full size, but biologically and socially development is never completely finished. Expected developmental milestones occur throughout childhood, and each child develops at a slightly different pace. Many of the biological changes occurring during childhood involve children’s brains, so social developments happen quickly as their world and its possibilities change and grow.

Preschool

Between ages 2 and 5, the brain grows from 75 percent its full weight to 95 percent its adult size, making cognitive developments rapid during these years. The left brain becomes developed enough to support language skills around 2 years old. The right hemisphere of the brain grows capable of shape recognition between ages 4 and 5. The frontal lobe and corpus callosum, areas responsible for behavior, emotions and problem-solving, grow rapidly around age 5. Children in this age group thrive with strict daily routines, enjoy choosing their own clothes and foods and prepare for daily events like bedtime by using rituals, such as brushing teeth then reading a bedtime story.

Early School

Children have usually developed enough to recognize letters and numbers around age 4, fine-tuning these skills around 5 years old when they can recognize the difference between "b" and "d." Jumping and running are done with good balance, permanent teeth begin growing in, children generally begin to appear thin and not chubby, have a vocabulary of more than 2,000 words and outgrow many of their earlier irrational fears. Due to maturation of the prefrontal cortex during this age, children sleep more regularly and temper tantrums subside as well.

Middle Childhood

Children older than 6 begin recognizing differences between boys and girls, still require around 10 hours of sleep each night and start to realize that actions bring reactions and behaviors can result in consequences. Physically, children begin to mature toward adulthood as puberty approaches, with widening hips or growing testes, but overall growth slows. Children at 8 years old have difficulty sitting for periods longer than 20 minutes, and fears of monsters are replaced with fears of school. By age 12, most children are almost as coordinated as adults.

Effects

Childhood development can be affected positively or negatively through genetics, health care and nutrition. Maltreatment of children, including abuse or neglect, negatively impacts growth and development by producing more aggressive, self-destructive types of adults. Accidents and injuries can also negatively affect growth. You can encourage your child’s growth and development through encouragement, reading together, being physically active or taking part in sports. Giving your children responsibilities and chores appropriate for their age, spending time in creative play together and limiting television time are other ways to encourage proper development, according to MedlinePlus.

When your baby is born, he has six soft spots around his skull. The anterior fontanelle is the one that you are most familiar with, as it is the most prominent and takes the longest to close. Soft spots are gaps between your child’s skull bones that allow for rapid brain growth. Abnormal changes in soft spots like sinking, bulging, being larger than normal or taking too long to close can indicate a problem.

Bulging

If your baby’s soft spot is bulging, this is abnormal. A soft spot that feels like it us under pressure or sticking out, even while you baby is sitting upright and relaxed, can indicate a problem. This may mean that fluid is building around your baby’s brain causing the pressure around the brain to increase. The soft spot should normally bulge out slightly if your baby is crying, lying down or vomiting. However, if this is not the case, bring your infant to the emergency room. A bulging soft spot may indicate meningitis, encephalitis or hydrocephalus.

Sunken

Normally a soft spot should be bend slightly in. However, a sunken or deeply bent in fontanelle is not normal. If your baby’s soft spot is sunken, this may indicate he is dehydrated or malnourished. Seek immediate care for your little one and encourage him to eat or drink.

Excessively Large

Your baby may be born with an excessively large or wide fontanelle. According to the website Medline Plus, these are typically a result of Down syndrome, premature birth, reduced growth or development in utero, hydrocephalus or achondroplasia. Generally, a large soft spot is seen at birth, but if you suspect your child’s soft spot to be larger than it should be, contact your doctor. Further tests can evaluate whether or not your child has an underlying problem.

Delayed Closure

Normally, a baby’s soft spot is 96 percent closed by 2 years of age, according to the "American Family Physician." If your baby’s fontanelle takes longer to close, it could be a sign of an underlying condition. Typically, delayed closure of a soft spot is a sign of achondroplasia or hypothyroidism. Your doctor will monitor your baby’s soft spot at each visit. If you believe there is cause for concern, speak with your doctor.

Children have the natural desire and energy to go full-tilt all day long, so it’s a cause for concern when your child complains of weakness or appears lethargic. See your doctor immediately when symptoms of weakness in the back and other major muscle groups present themselves. These symptoms may indicate a treatable condition, but only a trained medical doctor can tell for sure.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, is a genetic condition that causes a loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord. As neurons die, the muscles that they control become weaker. There are four forms of SMA, three of which manifest at birth or early in childhood. Type I causes severe symptoms from birth, and sufferers have a life expectancy of only two years. Children with type II SMA will never walk and may not live into adulthood. Type III SMA also develops during childhood but has a more positive prognosis. Type III still results in muscle weakness and difficulty walking, but patients do enjoy a normal life expectancy.

Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy includes a family of diseases that all destroy muscle tissue at the microscopic level. Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophies both develop in childhood and cause a steady weakening of major muscle groups. Of these two forms, Duchenne is the most serious because it involves the heart muscle and respiratory system. Children with muscular dystrophy often require assistance devices and physical therapy to maintain some muscle tone. The life expectancy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is about 30 years.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

A rare condition that can strike any age group, Guillain-Barre syndrome occurs when the body’s immune system attacks nerve cells and fibers. Doctors don’t know what causes the condition, but an infectious illness often precedes its development. Symptoms of the condition include weakness in the lower body that spreads upward, severe lower back pain, difficulty walking and a rapid heart rate. Symptoms reach their peak at about four weeks, while full recovery may take years. There is no cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, but doctors have a number of treatments that may lessen the effects.

Polio

Polio is a viral infection that attacks the spinal cord. Nearly extinct in the developed world, polio still wreaks havoc in certain parts of Africa, Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. The virus is contagious and spreads through contaminated food and water. Most children who contract polio experience no symptoms. When symptoms do develop, they include fever, numbness, headache and nausea. Polio symptoms are typically more severe in adults. Only rarely does a polio infection result in disability or paralysis.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and incurable disease that attacks the central nervous system. While women are in the highest risk group, children may also develop multiple sclerosis. The progress of the disease is slower in children, but some level of disability is inevitable. Symptoms of the disease include numbness, fatigue, difficulty coordinating movements and cognitive dysfunction. There is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but current treatment options have demonstrated effectiveness at reducing symptoms and slowing the disease’s progress. These treatments include powerful medications, physical therapy, nutrition and exercise.