Hey there ladies!
I am having some concerns about my three year old boy Ben with talking and discipline. Let me start out by saying that when he was born we found out that I had Inter-Uterin Growth Retardation causing my body to just stop caring for him. Ben was born only 4lbs 13ozs full term. There was no brain damage or anything serious except that he was really small. Now he is at the top with growth and weight. He's really smart. He can remember anything. The problem is that he is still not talking all that much. He can count to 12 and recognize the numbers. He is able to say words like car and dog and identify them but is not able to speak in sentences. When he gets frustrated he just screams. I am worried. Should I be worried? Lots of people have told me that boys develop their speaking alot later than girls. Is anyone else having this problem? I'm scared!
-K.
My son is 3 1/2 and screams and/or cries all the time, some days it's non stop. The difference is that he talks non stop too and he has tons of words. His sister, who is 17 mos., says nothing. I would talk to the peditrician about it but mine told me that the low end of the range for 18 mos. olds is 3 words so I wonder what he would say the low end would be for 3 year olds....
My daughter is the same way. She's 3 1/2, and because of her birthday, she is supposed to start kindergarten a few weeks after her fifth birthday. I thought having her in daycare with a structured cirriculum would help her advance, but so far, it hasn't. She's been in daycare for a year now. She says certain words, but very few actual phrases and no sentences. To me, she seems very delayed and I'm afraid that I will have to hold her out of school until after her sixth birthday. I can't offer any advice, as i'm at a loss, too. Just know that your son isn't the only one!
From my experience with my boys discipline problems and screaming when frustrated is normal for three year olds.
If you have other children in the house or if you interpret your child's gestures they often talk later from what I have seen and have been told. One of our pediatricians was extremely surprised when my youngest talked early because they usually don't. My boys have never "translated" for each other though, so that's probably why. However if your gut instinct is that something isn't right talk to your doctor and maybe the local Parents as Teachers program. My neighbor took a couple of her children to them for speach therapy and early learning guidence to prepare her kids for kindergarten.
It is also possible that your child's pace for talking is going to be a little later.
Hopefully your doctor can offer some sound advice.
My son is 3.5 years old, and until he was three he didn't speak in sentences either. Even now, he refuses to speak clearly to people he doesn't know, and he screams when he gets frustrated with expressing himself. While you may want to have him evaluated if he doesn't start flowing more smoothly in a couple of months, I want to reassure you that the same thing happened to me (and I was getting worried, too). Now my little man sounds almost adult sometimes-- at least around people he knows. It all happened in a two or three month period!
My son was also a IUGR baby. He was born full term at 4lbs 14oz. He is now 13 months and doing great. However, I often wonder how many words he should be saying now and how well he should be speaking. I don't really have any advice for you that you have not already received, but it makes me feel better to know that we are going through the same thing with our babies! I will have to keep in touch with you so we can chart our children's growth/speech.
Thanks!
My oldest just turned 4. He sounds alot like your son. My son can count over 20 and recognizes numbers, letters, some words/names. He has an awesome memory. He can write his name and knows all his colors. But he does not speak well at all. At 18 months he began speech therapy and my the time he was 2 1/2 years old he was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. He is in a special preschool through our school district and in the last year has improved greatly. But when he gets frustrated he just breaks down crying or screaming. I would check with your doctor or local school district. They can do an evaluation and determine is there is a problem. Good Luck!
talk with your pediatrician or call parents as teachers to come out for home visits. these are certified teachers that come to your home to help you and your kids. they are so great and can give you real world ideas of how your child compares to others his age. they do annual screenings to check their development. it is a free service that is offered through many school districts. i found ours through the parents as teacher website that directed me to the local school district contact.
I would have him evaluated by a Childhood Developmental Specialist, just to rule out any of the ASD's (Autism Spectrum Disorders). My oldest is Autistic. She has sensory integration dysfunction and asperger's syndrome. She was almost three before she began speaking with the help of a speech therapist. Each child develops differently and no two autistic children are the same. the initial diagnosis is heartbreaking,but the more you learn the better it is for everyone. there's no use casting blame on anyone or anything, because it doesn't change anything. Since he's three and if he is diagnosed with an ASD, he is the right age for Early Intervention. this is a preschool program that is run by every school district in the nation. They will evaluate him again and determine his eligibility into the program. when he's accepted they will work with him and you on how to best work with his disability and he will see a speech therapist. this is all free, btw and is different from Head Start in that it doesn't matter how little or how much money you make. Autism is found in every 1 in 150 children, so you'd be far from alone. the earlier you get services and help, the easier it will be for him and for you. he screams when he's frustrated because he can't put into words what he wants to say. it's frustrating all around, believe me, i know.
if you have a family history of late talkers, that could be it as well, but i think it's always safer to find out for sure.
Good Luck! if you'd like more information on early intervention, contact your local school district and inquire. they will put you in touch with the district psych. hope this helps :)
I would take him to the pediatrician and have him checked. It sounds like he would benefit from some speech therapy. Teaching him sign language would help cut down on the frustrations because he could tell you want he wants with his hands. Good luck.
If you're worried, I would definately check with the pediatrician. Also, call your local school district's early childhood center. They can provide a free screening and probably start him with some speech and language therapy. In the past, Parents as Teachers has been for children up to 3, but this year they've changed the funding to offer 3-5 year old visits. So, when you ask about the screening, definately check on getting signed up for Parents as Teachers. It sounds as though he's definately behind where he should be.
I have a nephew that is almost 7 years old and speaks as if he is 18mo old. He has Autism. When he was about 18mo.-2yrs, he started speech therapy and learned some basic sign language. This helped his parents so much with his basic needs and a little more. They are sponges at this age and can pick it up quickly. You will obviously have to learn it with him, but I think it would improve the quality of your relationship with better communication. My nephew can talk enough for those of us close to him and will continue to get a little better all the time. If this can help him even a little, I think it could really help your son. I hope you get the help you all need for him. Good luck and God Bless!
