my 3.5 year son is not speaking much is this normal and what to do?

Question

he understands and he doesent have problem hearing he is lazy to talk. dada nana mama no and milions of words we dont understand.He is social but will play with small cars whole day and tv has to be on.We spak bosnian and english in home and looks like he is not motivated to speak,any advice?

Answer 1

Contact your local school district and get a a speech eval for him. He may have a simple speech delay or it could be a sign of something more severe. He may need to see an SLP for a while until he gets caught up. In the state I live in, the school district is responsible for all children with "special need" at any age. Contact thems as soon as you can.

Answer 2

First of all, keep the TV off, he WILL be lazy if he grows up watching todays new shows that pop up. Talk to him, take some time every day, even five minutes will help, and do something like this:
Take some of his favorite toys, Ex. Cars, bubbles, balls, ect. and point to one and clearly say the name of it. If someone talks baby talk to him, he will copy it and continue to talk baby talk. Colors of things arn't good until he knows what the object is, and how to say it. If there is a firetruck and you tell him "Red", he might go around for awhile thinking the name of a firetruck is red. If you are really eager to start on colors, take a blank sheet of paper (clarify that it is PAPER) and take a few crayons. Color blue and call it blue, color yellow and call it yellow. It isn't good to do too much at once, so try to get him to repeat only a few different things, then go through the objects or colors again so he gets them stuck in his head. As for the double language, say the object in both english and bosnian, so he learns both of them.

Answer 3

No. There is nothing wrong with him. He is only 3 years old. He is learning more than he is telling you, but if you speak Serbo and he is getting English, he may be very confused.

My suggestion is to put him in daycare and let him learn from little kids his own age. Children are sometimes children's best teachers.


Playing with small cars and small toys is also VERY NORMAL. They even have a word for it. It is called co - active play. When children do this, it is personally very interesting to me and really interesting to watch. They are not really playing with themselves. They are playing with the toys. Even if another child is playing at the same time, with the same set of toys, they are playing with the toys and not with each other. It is a very good tool for judging how children are learning cooperation and how to get along with each other. It is really interesting to watch, and even if another child plays along side him, they are not really playing with each other, they are playing with the toys. They are developing language and reading skills by learning to do this kind of play. Do not discourage it. It is a very important social skill to learn.

If you put him in daycare, he will be talking in less than six months. Or put him in preschool. You would see an amazing difference.
You can also go to the nearest neighborhood public school and talk to a child development specialist and ask that he be evaluated for early intervention.

But my best guess is that there is nothing wrong with him and he will eventually learn how language works, both in Serbo and English.

This is a VERY common problem in two language homes. When this happens, parents who put their children in daycare or early school programs come to find out that their children are really poets when it comes to language skills and they aren't slow to develop, they just have to many language choices.

I see this all the time. Put him in a preschool or daycare and he will be talking like a parrot in less than six months.

Answer 4

Definitely, you actually waited too long to get some help for him. I started noticing my son's speech delay at 15 months., and by 18 months, I had him evaluated and receiving speech/language therapy with a great therapist.. If you do not see results by six weeks, change therapists. Call the early intervention program in your area and start getting help...

Answer 5

look in your phone book for Head Start. it is for low income families but if you let them know that you child has "issues" they will take it to the parent meeting and ask that they waive the financial situation. Head Start is for children ages 3-5. The children get the social environment in a class room setting. they get to play and learn at the same time. there is breakfast, lunch, and snacks offered. nap time is after lunch. head start will encourage parents to take their children to get their physicals and go to the dentist. hearing and vision screens will be done at school if the doctor did not do it. head start helps with speech therapy and physical therapy. the children will go on field trips. head start is meant to be both fun and educational. all this for free. the child is first priority.

Answer 6

It's common for children who grow up bilingual to speak later than a child who only hears one language. Maybe he is getting them mixed up and that's why you don't understand him when he does speak. Be patient, and work with him on repeating your words. Ask the doctor at his next appointment if you should be concerned. Put him in a playgroup or preschool to encourage him to speak more.

Answer 7

Some start later than others. In a year you will be posting a question here on how to get him to stop talking...lol.
Spend more time with him and get him away from that idiot box of a television. Converse and read with him if you want to help.

Answer 8

I have a 5 year old grandson,that didn't talk alot at that age.He was in a 2 language household too,his father spoke Spanish to him,and his Mom English.
Now we cant get him to be quiet..lol

If you have had his hearing checked,and he understands what you are saying,I wouldnt worry too much.

Answer 9

Well....are you trying to teach him both languages at the same time? If a child learning how to talk is being taught more than one language it takes them longer to talk. Don't worry about it though. It may take him longer but eventually he will catch on to both languages. If you are that concerned drop one language and let him learn one at a time.

Answer 10

Turn off the TV. Be more active with him. Read stories together. When you talk to him let him answer you with words. If you don't understand him, help him pronounce the word.