MY one year old son is not mumbling; leave aside speaking, while other children by this do so. Do you think it could be something abnormal or is it a delayed process. It is difficult to say anything specific until a child is subjected to a check up by the doctor. By asking ‘if something could be abnormal, perhaps you are referring to speech deficiency or abnormality. Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak, often caused by a speech disorder. It is extraordinarily rare for a person to be born mute and calculating the exact odds of this occurrence happening is practically impossible.