how to help my 3 year old learn to talk?

Question

We have had his ears and everything tested. We even had further test done and everything is normal exept he just doesn't want to talk. Sometimes he'll try, but mostly just refuses. we are even putting him in school early. But what can I do at home?

Answer 1

i'd say ttry watching educatuional televison..
or, you could try, when you give him something, say the thing, and then dont give it to him till he repeats you.
good luck!

Answer 2

He'll talk when he's ready. Maybe he just doesn't have anything to say. I didn't say my own name until I was 5 yrs old. I was extremely shy. To help him become more familiar w/ words. Read to him. Show him the word you're reading & enuniate clearly. I did this w/ my kids & they were all reading at 3. Maybe he'd talk if he was reading to you. Start him off w/ very easy words. I always started w/ and & the. 2 words they see a lot, so htey get lots of practise w/ them. once they recognise a couple words, they get a great sense of accomplishment. Pirde in being able to accomplish this might get him started.
Or he just might not be into language. Whatever you do... DON'Tpush! Lead & if he's interested...he'll follow. If he's not... try again in a week or two. You'll only cause problems if you try to push him into it. Don't get into the race w/ other parents for children's accomplishments. It's not much of an indicator of intellegence. I was very quiet when I was a kid. I knew the words, jsut didn't want to talk. As I said, Ididn't say my own name till I was 5, but I easily qualified for Mensa. My son's IQ has been tested at 155 - 185, & he was a slow talker as well.

Answer 3

My oldest kid had the same problem at first. We had his ears tested, had him evaluated for autism, and went through all sorts of other diagnostic testing. Most of which was free for us because we utilized a little known early intervention program run by the county - my wife found out about it online.

In the end, they sent out a speech therapist (free of charge) to work with him for an hour, twice a week. She didn't need to show up much past the 3rd week, and here's what she did (and what you can do at home):

She taught him a couple of sign-language signs...I think it was the signs for "more," "eat," and "all done." It was like someone turned a key in his brain. Two weeks later, he woke up speaking in complete sentences. Next thing we knew he was teaching himself to read. Her guess was that he had been embarrassed about his speaking abilities, probably from being around older kids that spoke more clearly. The sign language helped him gain that confidence and communicate with us, and then he just started talking. Now we can't get him to stop talking.

So, in summary, check and see if your local government has early intervention programs. Be patient with him or you'll make it worse, and try teaching him some basic sign language.

Answer 4

Your son may have an auditory processing problem; if that's the case, he may need professional help from a speech pathologist. Our son wasn't talking at 3, either. The educational specialist at our preschool pointed out some concerns, and from there, our pediatrician recommended a full speech evaluation at our local children's hospital. It wasn't covered by our health plan and was NOT cheap, but it made all the difference.

Long story short, we found out the little guy had a significant language delay with some sensory integration issues thrown in just for fun. We enrolled him in an early intervention preschool program in February and now -- we can't get him to STOP talking! And we're finding out that he's quite the little genius -- literally.

So, look into an evaluation, see what the therapist/pathologist has to say, and reinforce the advice at home. Lots of times, using pictures or gestures to reinforce the words is a big help.

Good luck to you and your little guy!

Answer 5

Here are some suggestions, but I am just a Mom, not an 'expert':

1. Talk to him all the time - narrate what you are doing, and why.
2. Ask him questions, and suggest a few answers, such as "What's your favourite thing to do at the park? Is it the slide? The swings? running around with Daddy?" and even if he doesn't answer, read his expressions and respond to them, so that he can see how dialogue works.
3. Read to him every night
4. Have family supper every night, and engage in conversation with your husband in front of him, including your son when you can.
5. Encourage him with toys or treats, such as "If you can say 'candy', I will give you one!"
6. Play a drawing game, and draw puppies, rainbows, trees etc. and ask him, "What did Mommy draw?" - if he likes games, he may be inclined to participate

Anyway, good luck, and remember that kids all develop at different stages, so don't stress about it.

Answer 6

Contact the school district in which you reside and tell them your situation, they will tell you who to contact. You may be eligible for help free of charge (program is paid for through your tax dollars) At 2 yrs my daughter hadn't spoken much. The schools advised me to contact Early Intervention (provided by the state or county in which you reside) They send down a social worker who sets up a meeting with a speech pathologist and special ed teacher to come to your home and interact with your child. They play games with him and observe his knowledge and other ways of communicating. They will also ask questions about your health and pregnancy as well as your childs health and development. After the visit, they write a report of their findings and whether or not assistance is required. In my situation, no further action was required. I was told that my daughter's receptive and cognitive skills were very good and that the words would come. They were so right..she is now a very talkative 3 1/2 year old.

Good luck

Answer 7

Whenever he wants something make him repeat what you say.
For instance if he wants more juice have you say one word at a time and make him mimic you try " juice please mommy" or something similar. My two and a half year old has progressed greatly since I started doing this. Also, to help strengthen his mouth muscles give him a cup with a straw instead of a sippy cup. After only two weeks of using this my daughter was annunciating words a lot better.

Answer 8

have you tryed picture flash cards? does he play with kids his age or is he around younger kids a lot? ummm my daughters 3 and shes a little chatter box. she actually learned to talk i think because i would sing to her and encourage her to singback.
im sure your son will start chattering away when hes ready. as long as hes been teastedand the doc says alls well then it should be ok. just ask him questions that mabey hell answer. also dont give him what he wants untill he tells you what he wants. why should he have to use words? mom already understands and knows what he wants? i dont know...these are just some suggestions.

Answer 9

Do you have an older child?. If you do it's probably because the older child does all the talking. I'm experiencing the same thing with my soon to be three yr old. She won't talk because she knows her older sister will do it for her. So my older daughter teaches her words

Answer 10

He will talk when he has something to say. Hey you could try sign language I hear it's becoming the rage for communicating with babies. Not speaking has nothing to do with his intellect..bet he's very bright!! Good Luck.