My toddler can't name colors: is he color-blind?

It's no secret that kids reach developmental milestones at varying points in their development. Just as there are healthy kids who do not walk until 16 months, there are many healthy toddlers who do not learn the names of colors until much later than their developmentally similar peers. My own daughter knew the names of 10 colors before she turned 2 -- and, now preschool-age, she has several classmates who are only beginning to learn colors at age 4. Neither the teacher nor the parents are concerned about these children being color-blind.

Still, it's natural to feel concerned if your toddler doesn't know the names of any colors. You may be concerned that he has either a developmental disorder, or that he is color-blind. If your child doesn't know the names of colors, here are some points to consider.

Most children don't learn colors at a very early age. Although there are some kids who fixate on colors, naming several before their second or third birthday, many others do not learn them until the preschool years. Some parents may feel worried when their 2-year-olds do not know color names, but it's actually quite normal for a toddler this young to be relatively nonverbal.

Expect your toddler to know a color or two by age 3.

According to BabyCenter, the majority of toddlers can label one color by 36 months of age. If your child doesn't know the name of a color by his third birthday, it's a sign that he is lagging slightly behind his peers. This may rarely be a sign of a learning disability or color-blindness.

Recognize that most color-blind toddlers are boys. Although color-blindness is possible in girls, it is very rare. Boys and men account for the vast majority of cases of color-blindness. If your toddler is a boy and struggles to identify colors, there is some possibility that he can not visually discern certain shades. However, for girls, it's far less likely that a vision disorder is to blame.

Understand that complete color-blindness is rare.

Odds are slim that your toddler is color-blind to any degree -- and the odds that he is entirely color-blind are almost negligible. According to Mayo Clinic, very few people are capable of seeing only shades of gray. Even if your child is "color-blind," he can almost certainly tell some colors and shades apart.

Watch for specific symptoms of color-blindness.
If your toddler consistently confuses two specific colors, such as red and green -- but consistently identifies other colors -- it is possible that he has a form of color-blindness. Less commonly, a child will not be able to see the difference between blue and yellow. Keep an eye out for color confusion between specific shades, as this is more indicative of a problem with color vision.

Monitor your toddler's speech development.

In some cases, toddlers who do not use descriptive words are not suffering from color-blindness, but from a delay in the development of cognitive and language functions. Your toddler might not use color names by the time he is 2 1/2, but he should be able to use some adjectives, such as "short," "big," "different," and "happy." If your child seems to struggle with all forms of descriptive communication, it's possible that he is struggling with a sensory integration disorder or cognitive delay.