What can I do at home to see if my child is mentally challenged?

Question

I don't know if that is the correct term (forgive my mistake). My daughter is 4 years old and her speech seems to not be where it should be. Now I am comparing her to her 7 year old brother who is very talkative and smart. I don't want to take her to an expert right away. I want to know what I should do at home to find this out. She has a hard time remembering things imortant and she is very attached to me. I don't want to make a mistake and ignore it so I am really trying to research on my own. She is a very friendly person and plays like any other child. There are just some things that I fear that she should already know and she doesn't. Help me please

Answer 1

Set her in front of your computer.  If she spends a lot of time at Yahoo Answers, you have something to worry about.;

Answer 2

I don't really know if those are signs of being special needs or a typical 4 yr old. And never compare one child to the other that is not fair. Except for academically my kids are as different as night and day. My youngest is 7 and continually forgets thing all the time, yet she is in the top of her class and is actually at a 3rd grade level in math but cant remember what I said 5 minutes ago. She struggled with remembering our phone # and such but did get it and for some reason remembers everything she is taught in school just not from me LOL Just kidding she just took more work than my oldest on remembering things but is very intelligent and has advanced well in school. Give her some more time and make sure you encourage her and never say  "your brother could/can". She is her own person and will do it in her own time. Our reactions fuel a lot of our children's desires, if you have faith in her, she will have faith in herself.

Edit: As far as the attachment each child is different that way as well, my oldest is very social, and my youngest would be happy to be home with me forever. If you are really concerned talk to her doctor, but not in front of her and go from there.

Answer 3

um wellllll shes still four lt her groww most kids groww out of tht stuff if ur stillworried ask ur family tdoctor and dsee if he referes u to anyhtinggggggg... allkids age and groww diff :) sotmies we jsu gota not be so worriedddddddddd...buh whenur a prarents its hard to do thtt sooo u shoudl just concstult a doctor cuz thers not much uc an do at home  and then be reasured by it very well

Answer 4

Honestly, there isn't anything that you can do at home to be 100% positive. Take your child to a specialist to make sure.

Good luck! - Kelly

Answer 5

I am sure you can find developmental milestones on the net.  Compare her to other children her own age.  Chances are she is not mentally challenged.  Chances are your older child is just very smart.  This is my experience.

My son (now 10) is gifted and my daughter (now 8) is not.  My son reached every milestone early and seemed to have no trouble learning anything.  So when I compared that to my daughter, I thought she was not normal.  As it turns out my son is mentally gifted and my daughter is normal!

I cannot compare the two of them because everytime I do, she comes out behind when really she is not.

Answer 6

stare at each other

Answer 7

Early testing is very important.  If it can be identified that there are things you can do to help her,  it's for the best.  I had my son tested at age 3 for speech.  It was free and they came to our house.  And we are a family that wouldn't qualify for free, so you know they think it's important.  He went to a few speech sessions then it got better. He is 8 now and making all A's in school.  I do not regret getting him tested.  I was relieved to know it wasn't my imagination and to know I did the best I could do by getting the problem identified.

Answer 8

PHYSICAL AND MOTOR

During the 4th year, a child typically:

    * Gains weight at the rate of about six grams per day

    * Grows to a height that is double the length at birth

    * Shows improved balance

    * Hops on one foot without losing balance

    * Throws a ball overhand with coordination

    * Can cut out a picture using scissors

    * May not be able to tie shoelaces

    * May still wet the bed (normal)

SENSORY AND COGNITIVE

The typical 4-year-old:

    * Has a vocabulary of over 1500 words

    * Easily composes sentences of four or five words

    * Can use the past tense

    * Can count to four

    * Will ask the most questions of any age

    * May use words that aren't fully understood

    * May begin using vulgar terms, depending on their exposure

    * Learns and sings simple songs

    * Tries to be very independent

    * May show increased aggressive behavior

    * Talks about personal family matters to others

    * Commonly has imaginary playmates

    * Has an increased comprehension of time

    * Is able to distinguish between two objects based on simple criteria such as size and weight

    * Lacks moral concepts of right and wrong

    * Is rebellious if expectations are excessive

PLAY

As the parent of a 4-year-old, you should:

    * Encourage and provide the necessary space for physical activity

    * Instruct the child how to participate in, and follow the rules of sporting activities

    * Encourage play and sharing with other children

    * Encourage creative play

    * Teach children to do small chores, such as setting the table

    * Read together

    * Monitor both the time and content of television viewing (preferably less than 1.5 hours of TV, no more than 3 hours maximum)

    * Expose the child to different stimuli by visiting local areas of interest ♥