Is it a problem that my 3 y/o doesnt know his colors,shapes or numbers?

Question

I have 4 sons, 3 of which knew how to count, knew colors and shapes,were potty trained both day an night, (except my 5 y/o occaisionally wets at night), could master basic wooden puzzles etc by 18 months old.

My youngest son turned 3 in May and has yet to master any of the things I mentioned above. He will NOT attempt the potty issue. He used to sit there for 30 mins w/out pottying. Then he would get up and potty on the bathroom floor. Now he just screams and cries at the thought of the potty. Trust me on this- We have read the books,watched the movies, tried rewards,charts,and talking to other parents about toilet training! As far as colors,shapes,#'s etc. we have practiced daily for well over 2 years. He is excited and eager to learn- but just does not comprehend the material.

He is very speech delayed, but not hearing/visually impaired. He starts a program this month where he will recieve speech therapy and be evaluated on other things as well.

What could be the problem? Could he be totally normal but just not wanting to remember colors? Am I doing my job as a parent by introducig him to these programs, or is there more that I could do for him? Is it possible he is autistic even though he is usually a happy loving child?

Answer 1

just keep trying he will get there!! hang in 3 is young

Answer 2

This might be a problem for you. You need to contact a speech therapist and they will be able to help your son. It's fun and educational, I had the same problem with my daughter she's two years old, and now she can spell, read certain words, she recognizes some of the colors, and she can count up to ten. Some kids take a little to grasp on to things. But because your son is school age you need to get him help in anyway that you can and fast before he falls behind.

Answer 3

All kids are different, you are doing what you can for him.  There are a few things that could be the problem.  

1-there is no problem

2-he has a mild autistic spectrum disorder

I have 2 sons that have PDD.NOS and both are loving.  Here is a pretty accurate PDD assessment http://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html

My sons scored recently a 51, and a 68.

3-his receptive language delay is delaying his knowledge of numbers, colors, and shapes

Can he match shapes and colors?  

4-he could have a borderline IQ (71-84)

Potty trained boys for typical kids occur between ages 2.5-4 yrs old.  Since he is speech delayed he could be outside of this range.  Average potty training age for boys with delays is 4-7 yrs old.

Answer 4

Just let him grow. Every kid is different with the speed of learning. My cousin wasn't potty trained until she was 6! Every kid learns things at their own pace. I currently have a 4 year old cousin who is starting to potty train. Just remember that every kid has their own pace of learning.

Answer 5

My youngest son is Autism spectrum disorder.(ASD) He's nearly 5 and still in nappies. He's also had speech therapy, which helped tremendously. He has an obession with numbers and he puts everything in a line. He also needs routine. He screams alot if he dosen't like something. If this sound familar then it's possible, then again every childs different

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.j...

Check the site above.

If your concerned go to your GP who can refer you to a peadtrcian they'll be able to run some tests.

Answer 6

This is something you probably want to talk about with your pediatrician. My daughter is almost 3 1/2 and knows how to count to 10, colors but does not know shapes yet. I think all children learn at a different pace. My older son was a wiz at learning thisngs very young.Depends on the child.

Answer 7

I can only answer the potty part of this question.

I have a 4 year old boy (just turned 4 on July 5th) who by all standards is incredibly smart. He can count to 100 (could count to 10 by 2), knows colors such as fuschia, taupe, etc...He knows shapes like parallelogram, trapezoid, octagon, etc....

BUT, when it came to the potty, he didnt do it at all until about 3 weeks ago. It wasnt for a lack of trying on our end, doing everything we could, but he wasnt interested. 3 weeks ago we told him that we were out of diapers and he had to wear underwear, there was nothing we could do. He took the potty immediately and we have had no problems and only 2 accidents in the 1st couple of days, none since.

Every kid is different, everyone told us not to push the issue and that when he was ready we would know.  

Answer 8

It sounds like you are doing everything you can to stimulate his brain and encourage him to like learning.  I think having him evaluated will be helpful and the therapists might have more ideas.  I would just tell you to keep working on it and keep trying to make it fun.  Good Luck!