4 year Old - Communication delay

[ourworlds]

hi, Our DS is not speaking as much as a 4 year old should (he will be 4 next month) and doesnt engage in 1-2-1 communication and i am worried if there is anything wrong with him. The preschool he goes to suggested to have 1-2-1 sessions for him but we are currently waiting for funding to get him started on that. Meanwhile i am wondering if there is anything i should be doing to get him speaking and communicate better. He can read a lot of words , speaks words and signs to whatever he needs. Takes Shoes and socks off himself , follow instructions like put this in the bin. Sings ( when prompted) some rhymes and recognises logos.

Any experienced Mums/Dads out there who can suggest what this might be if anything worrying?

Does he answer questions? Could you give more info?

Yes and no. So he would answer but really depends on if he wants to or not. for example, if i say lets go and brush your teeth , he would immediately say "no brush your teeth". If i would say Jonny Jhonny, he would answer the next line and would help me complete the Ryhme. But then if I ask him what is your name , he would never say it. The best he would do if I say " my name is ....." and then he would say his name. If I show him on an atlas and ask what is this country , he can read "China, India, America" and a few others. So yes he can reply but not as much as i would expect. May be i am going mad and over analysing but he should definitely be speaking more.
He does get annoyed and then start hitting me but i would say that's when he is hungry and would calm down in 5-10 mins max. Generally would play and watch youtube videos without bothering too much untill he is bored.

very confused and concerned. Any inputs would be appreciated. Thanks a lot