talking tip?

had lunch with an old friend this week.  she's got a 1 year old kid who doesn't talk very much.  they think it's because the parents and caregivers anticipate his every need so he never has to express himself with words.  she also said that boys are typically slower to speak than girls.  what do you think?  do you think that if the parents weren't so attentive that the kid would talk more?  it sounds like a reasonable theory to me.