Late Talkers and Essential Fatty Acids

Q. Our 21 month old son is currently working in Illinois' Early Intervention program due to a speech delay. He is very verbal with sounds, gestures and is using some very limited sign language we're learning through our speech therapist.

She is doing some research on using EFA's, essential fatty acids to promote speech and suggested the book, "The Late Talking Child." I've looked at that and the Speechville Express website and am considering using fatty acids as an added therapy to promote speech.

My question is, according to what I've found, the ProEFA liquid I've purchased can't hurt my child and the dosage amount for an adult seems to be 1/2 teaspoon. My thought is to cut it to 1/4 teaspoon, but there is obviously no guidance on this anywhere. What are your thoughts? Joan, Elmhurst, IL

A. Even 1/4 teaspoon seems like a lot.

I'm not sure what normal or safe levels are, but you could use the amount of these fatty acids that are in supplemented formula as a guide. For example, Enfamil Next Step Lipil contains 17mg of DHA in every 5 ounces of formula. If you figure that the average toddler is drinking 16-24 ounces of this formula per day, that comes to about:

• 55 to 80mg of DHA each day

That compares to 245mg of DHA in 1/2 teaspoon of ProEFA Liquid. So even 1/4 of a teaspoon would be a larger amount and you would probably have to go with 1/8 of a teaspoon to get equivalent levels.

Although this is a controversial topic and I couldn't find any published research studies that supported giving essential fatty acids, including omega-3 fatty acids (DHA) or omega-6 fatty acids (ARA) to late talking children, if I was going to do this, I would likely go the safer and easier route of giving my toddler a formula that was supplemented with essential fatty acids. For example, instead of giving him whole cow's milk, you could just give him Enfamil Next Step Lipil, which is supplemented with DHA and ARA. Alternatives include Similac 2 Advance and Nestle Good Start 2 Supreme, which are also supplemented with DHA and ARA.

Late Talker Resources

• Speech and Language Development
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Cherab Foundation
• Speechville Express
• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
• Speech Delays
• Speech Delays in Multiples

Late Talker Books

• The Late Talker - What to Do If Your Child Isn't Talking Yet
• Late Talking Children
• The Einstein Syndrome - Bright Children Who Talk Late
• Does My Child Have a Speech Problem