My son just turned 3 last week. he says a few words but doesnt really talk, is that normal?

Question

he doesnt say random words, he says what he wants or what he sees, but it seems that my 18 month old is learning to speak faster he already says the words my 3yr old says.

Answer 1

Most children at the age of 3 should be talking in at least 4-6 word sentences and have some attempts at grammatical usage. For example, 'Joe wants go outside, Daddy!', Or 'Oh, look at that toy, Mama!' , 'Me not sleepy, me want to play.'

Its normal for children this age to refer to themselves in third person, saying their name rather than 'I or me'. They can do that all the way to kindergarten age but every child is different.

As a parent, I would try to make a note of all the words your son uses and any sentences at all. There are some simple ways to help build a child's language skills. Flashcards with colorful pictures of everyday objects and animals are great way to teach him. Including him in all conversations can help build his confidence. Some children are shy or bashful about talking at first can grow out of the phase if they are encouraged to be more talkative.

You can find board books, puzzles, flashcards, arts and craft items in your local dollar store. Also many dollar stores carry teacher supplies (posters of abc's, colors, shapes, numbers, etc) These are EXCELLENT ways to encourage your child to learn and to speak more. Pasting up these educational posters in his nursery/bedroom will get him interested in learning new things. Also there are three really great cable channels which target 3 year olds and toddlers, PBS Kids Sprout, Noggin (in my opinion the BEST), and Baby First TV.

When you aren't able to sit with your child and interact, you should allow them to watch these programs so that they can listen to story time and so many other great programs to help them with speaking, counting, and so much more. Sprout also teaches Spanish words along with English meanings and my daughter even knows some Spanish and that is not even one of our home languages (English, Urdu, Punjabi are our languages at home our relatives are from Asia).

I believe that its really not a good idea for you to run to a speech therapist or to have your child put under the scope by a doctor as if he has some problem unless you are sure that there are some delays. Children develop at so many different rates and its really important for you to work on the above mentioned tools to try and help encourage speaking.

Don't allow him to grunt and point at things anymore. Many parents do this without realizing that they are still enabling their child not to fully communicate due to the previous babyhood years when they had to be understood without words. So have him ask and request things. Don't give him a drink unless he asks for it or says that yes he would like a drink.

There is absolutely no problem with speaking a secondary language or as I described tri-lingual similar to my household. Children learn the most language skills from the ages 2-6 than they will ever learn in the lifetime. So you should definitely encourage usage of Spanish as well. I would begin with basics teaching colors, counting, and words for everyday things like phone, lamp, bed, light etc. Then time by time a child will learn to speak it.

I lived in southeast asia for two years and had no knowledge of the local language. After two years of observing I was able to understand conversation, though I was unable to speak in sentences. Your child understand much more than you realize and may just not be ready to use it in speaking. Sign language is a good tool to teach children from ages birth to 8 years as it is a universal way for them to express themselves aside from speaking. So you may also try that approach and it will work well with your 18 month old too. Make it like a game with them to teach them a new word in sign language each day. It will help your son to build his confidence level.

Also as parents sometimes we 'correct' our children and sometimes not realizing it we could be holding them back from 'trying' to speak more on their own. Rather than saying 'You said that wrong.' Instead repeat what they said in a complete and proper sentence as simply as you can. For example, if your son says 'He mean, Daddy!'  then you say, 'Oh, he is being mean is he?' or you can say, 'Really, why was he mean to you?' with a lot of enthusiasm so that he understands that you can understand him. Some children stop trying to speak if adults ignore their attempts to speak or if adults tell them to speak correctly. He has to first practice and be in a non-pressured situation.

I would try to start over with him. By not correcting and making him feel he can open up. He will learn to talk clearly someday. This isn't going to be forever. Some children are more shy or develop faster physically than they do with speaking. He may be a olympic runner but still not talking clearly and I wouldnt worry too much. Just try your best to get learning materials and spend more time talking with him.

Lastly, singing is another way of helping him to talk. Most children love anything that rhymes and it doesnt have to be nursery school songs, my daughter was singing Fergie Big Girls Dont Cry the other day in the car. So if its hip hop or whatever, kids usually like it and they learn more words and ways of expressing in tones how they are feeling.

I really hope I helped you out. I would not rush your son or pressure him. And also keep in mind that your younger 18 month old is a different child. I have learned with both of my children (who are complete opposites) that its best not to compare them bcz they are both special in their very own way. I always believe that if we see our children as stars with their own place in the sky, then we will simply love them for who they are and the way that they shine all on their own. And my children have often guided me to new ways of how to teach them and raise them. I really hope I helped you. Don't worry, your son could be the next rocket scientist.  

Answer 2

being in daycare for about 2 yrs now. No its not normal. He should be speaking alot..actually constantly talking to the point you have to tell him to be quiet. Although if he's a only child he may be quietier then the children that have siblings. And he just turned 3 so he can be developing slower then others. If you ask him a question and he answers you all the time then I believe you have no problem. If he just doesn't talk at all but a few words here or there he might want to be tested. Sometimes cases like these aren't because they are slow or autistic even it could be cause they have hearing problems. I've been around all kinds of different children all kinds of different problems and speeds of learning. Dont feel like your child is not normal because he is he just might be developing slower. Get him tested around 3 1/2 I would say. Might want to introduce to him to more children or get him involved in sports or even the Little Gym. That place is AWESOME with developemental issuses...even with talking. I hope I helped.

Answer 3

I dont think so, but my first baby is on the way. My brothers talked a ton when they were 3....and apparently so did I. I am sure you could ask your doctor about it

Answer 4

Is it normal... NO!

Is it cause for concern... YES!!

Does it mean he has a serious problem... not necessarily.

What I can tell you is that my mother told me I didn't talk much until I was well beyond 3 year old.  Now I will say that English and spelling were always very difficult classes for me, but I was able to graduate as an Honor Student, got a PERFECT ACT score in math and science (again, English and language was my lowest ACT score) and I've got a BSEE and BSME degrees.  In otherwords, I'm terrible and language, but great at math and science.

Answer 5

It might be, and it might not be. When he does speak does he just say random words, or does he speak and sentence? He might just be really shy, even around family. He might just be the quiet kind of person.

Answer 6

It's very hard to say.  It would be a good idea to talk to his pediatrician about it.  He may be referred for speech therapy, which would not hurt him in any case, and it might really help.  If there is some sort of problem, the earlier he gets help, the easier it will be for him to catch up.  With these types of interventions, much more can be done at an early age than at a later one because the brain because of the rapid brain development that goes on in the first several years.  Much better for him to begin therapy now than wait until he is in school and noticeably behind his peers.  

Answer 7

http://www.autismspeaks.org/whatisit/ind...

take a look at that website. and read it. and just browse through it.

Answer 8

Your situation sounds so much like mine. I kept getting more concerned as my son didn't seem to talk the way other kids his age were. It was right after he turned 3 also that I decided to have it looked into. In my state they had through the school district a thing called 'Child Find' where they do testing of all sorts to see if your child is on track. My son passed everything but speech. They said he wasn't severely delayed, but enough that some intervention would help him. Through them he started Preschool where they have special teachers working with him. He started this past January when he was 3 1/2. The improvement by the end of school in May was amazing. He still isn't caught up to his peers or anything, but I can have a conversation with him now, and he can express things to me a lot easier. We still have hard moments, but I know it's a process. He turned 4 in June, and is starting another year of Preschool with the teachers. I also happened to come upon a book that made me feel immensely better about my son, and maybe it will for you. It's called 'The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late' by Thomas Sowell. Intrestingly enough my husband didn't talk till he was 3, which they say it can run in families.  

Answer 9

you should call your local elementary school and ask to have a speech assessment done. It sounds to me like he has a delay, and could use a little therapy to catch up. At his age they would put him in special ed preschool so he could receive therapy for free through the school. At three years old he should be saying several hundred words and be putting together 3-6 word sentences. My son is going to be 3 in november. In February he was diagnosed with a 12 month expressive speech delay. he said 10 words. He has been in speech for 6 months now and has a spoken word vocabulary of 150+ words, and a sign language vocabulary of 50+ words. He does speak in full sentences (we don't always understand him, but he tries).

The lack of words does not have any bearing on intelligence. My son is highly intelligent, and was very frustrated by his lack of communication skills. Now that he has words, he has totally blossomed. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any specific questions

Answer 10

I have friends in the same exact situation with 2 sons, the youngest knows a lot more than the oldest.  My sister in law is a speech therapist and tried to help their son but they were in denial and would not do anything, they let about a year go by until they finally did something.  Don't be like them, get help now, a developmental delay is very serious, maybe he just learns in different ways that you have not discovered yet.  Try a speech therapist, they might be able to help, if they cannot make any progress with his speech then maybe there is something else going on.  Keep searching for answers, the earlier you know what is going on the faster you will be able to help him, this is a crucial age for learning and you need to seek help fast.  If you cannot afford it there are places that will help your child free of cost.  I wish you all the luck!

additional details:

I don't think that matters, my husband and I speak English and Spanish and my son talks a lot, he forms 9 word sentences, knows his ABC's in both languages and lots more, he is 2 years old.  He should already be forming sentences but what do I know, talk to a professional they will tell you what is "normal" and what's not.  What does his pediatrician say?

Answer 11

You should have him tested to rule anything out. My son is 27 months old and has just started talking with going to speech therapy and going to a special preschool. I am not saying anything is wrong but it does not hurt for him to be tested.