My 3 year old doesnt communicate really good is it ok..?

Question

Well my son is almost turning 3 and he does say some words like Mama, mom, toy, star, ball , car, where, you, and so and so... but i've see others that communicate better. is this ok for him or not.. because my cousins are like "oooh my my doughter and him are the same age and she talks really good... " but i do speak both english and Spanish to my son.. could this be his problem.?

Answer 1

my son is bilingual as well. however mine just turned two in may and is speaking full sentences in both languages, so i do not think this is the root of the problem. you should look into calling an early intervention program to have them check him out.

Answer 2

I am a mother of a child with autism spectrum disorder and I'm not saying that your child has it, but I would take him to a speech pathologist right away for an evalution, his speech is very delayed. does he speak in sentences or just words, does he play with other children or would he rather play by himself. My son was diagnosed at the age of 2 1/2.

Answer 3

Hi just wanted you to know that my so didn't communicate well  when he was a toddler either and I just voiced my concern to the doctor who then gave me my options.  Although we had insurance they wouldn't cover speech therapy and it was way to expensive for us to pay out of pocket my doctor suggested the heath dept. I was skeptical because I didn't think would qualify for service with both my husband and I working but we did and he started receiving in home therapy twice a week and age 2 1/2. He is 5 now and still taking speech but does so at school. It's really helped a lot and they are thinking by the end of kinder-garden he may be able to stop the therapy.  The key is early intervention!  Trust your instinct! You know your child better than anyone else :)

Answer 4

Is he having problems with eye contact or affection? If he is, you may want to read some things on autism. Those are usually big factors. It sounds to me like he is just having trouble with the double language thing. I'm not a doctor, though.

Answer 5

Speaking two languages to your child is not a problem. If a child has a speech/language delay, then it is always a good idea to seek intervention early.  A 3-year-old should be able to use at least 50 words, combine two words in phrases, and imitate three-word utterances easily, IN BOTH LANGUAGES. :) Your child's language skills might be stronger in one specific language (i.e., Spanish or English)

Make sure you are not communicating with your child via code-switching, however (e.g., 'spanglish'). You should be providing your child with the correct model in either language 100% of the time.  

If you are truly concerned, your child should be evaluated by a bilingual speech pathologist. They will test the child in both languages, determine if he has a delay, and determine eligibility for services if they are necessary. Feel free to contact me if you have more specific questions.

Answer 6

He doesn't have to be speaking in full sentences yet. Some children do, but some don't at that age. My son didn't say more than just Dada until he was 2 1/2. He wouldn't even say Mama, he called me Dada too. Then he slowly started picking up words. It was a little frustrating so I took him to a child development specialist at the University and he said not to worry about it. Some kids develop slower than others. Forcing your child to talk doesn't do any good for them. There is nothing that they gain long term from speaking early or not. Most times parents force their kids to talk because they think it is a sign of intelligence, but it's really not. I'll admit that I really wanted him to talk more and was a little ashamed that he didn't speak more. But what I learned is some kids speak early because they act as 'parrots', they just copy what you are saying without even knowing what they are saying. Some kids won't speak until they know what they are saying. My son was the later. He just turned 3 a couple of weeks ago and now he is speaking in full sentences. It's crazy how in just 6 short months he just started speaking well. You could bring him to someone if it makes you feel better. His pediatrician would know where to start. I was lucky enough to have my son enrolled in a toddler program at the University and got hooked up with someone through that. You could try that if there is a college or university that has an early childhood development program.

Answer 7

Yes its fine if they communicate that well its nothing to panic over. Kids learn at different rates. The reason for this could be the way you talk to him. Don't talk to him like he was a baby talk to him in your regular voice. I know this because it happened with my baby brother and my best friend's little sister. I don't know for sure why it happens but that is a reason. Talking to him in two languages isn't a problem either. And don't worry about what other people say, everyone has there own rates at certain things. Some people call may say the child is Autistic but they're most likely not.

I hope I helped and God Bless you and your child.

Answer 8

It's not a problem. This is normal for bilingual kids. mine did the same thing.

Answer 9

Yes, most definitely that's why he may be struggling to keep up with other kids his age who only know english or only know spanish. But It's not 'his problem' i wouldn't see it like that, Being bilingual is a great thing but confusing to a 3 year old. It's ok but I think you may want to work on it with him. He might feel different from other kids and too shy to make friends and teachers might not be fair to him or even care. Let him know it's ok.