Does anyone have this problem with a child? She is 3 and dosent speak or act like a 3yr old?

Question

My gf has both a 2yr and 3 yr old girls. The 2yr old is a typical 2yr old. she talks plays understands what you tell her ect. But the 3yr old only says a few legibal words. Much less than her sister. And she seems to be emotionally simaler to her younger sister. We have had her hearing checked. And it is not like she is mentally deficent. She understands what you ask her to do and will do it. But she will still throw a temper tantrum and act like she is emotionally defecent at times. Still wants to use a bottle even though she used a cup and can feeds her self every day. Has no want or intrest in potty training even though her younger sister does. Ect... We started her in a speach theripy class, but it is only offered 1 hour once a week. Need help and any suggestion. We have a new baby comming in june. I dont know if it matters but the father of both girls was never in the picture and still is not today. I came in there life 1 year ago. However they had a lot of loving family support .

Answer 1

It could be autism. If it is found early enough their is a lot that can be done. Talk to her doctor about it. If she is diagnosed there are programs she can go to that will help.

Answer 2

I have 4 children - My youngest will be 4 in June. He was slower to talk, etc than the others.
In our area BACH does home visits/evaluations until age 3. They came over just a few times before he turned 3 then they helped us get tested/evaluated &, when necessary, enrolled in a PPCD/Child Development program at public school. It's a small group here (9 children) - 5 days a week for 3 hours w/Speech Therapist coming in on occassion. Use resources available. They were very knowledgeable in our case & will let you know after evaluations if/what testing may be needed.

Our son's cognitive skills - great - he understands EVERYTHING!! We did learn that he did not have much control/wasn't using his tongue... They help & give advice.
He didn't start talking until recently (over holidays) & now surprises me everyday!! He will attend Pre-Kinder next year so I have confidence that by the time Kinder is here, he will be 'on Level'.

I wouldn't worry alot - children do develop differently - but do think it's good that you're trying to find out more. As parents of course we want the absolute best for our children. It could be nothing but why wait until much later to find out it was Something, right?!

Good Luck!!

Answer 3

This is a hard call to make definate. She could just be a shy child who doesn't need to talk because she get's what she want's by groaning and crying. The younger one could just be a more outgoing person. Learning at a normal rate. My son didn't say anything untill 31/2. (He is also a first born by the way) My Mom would get so mad at me and tell me to make him say what he wanted. Then, a cute little girl moved in next door with a swing set, and he hasn't shut up since! Seriously! It was so shocking. To go from not talking at all, to talking all the time, in sentences! So all along, he was "choosing" not to talk, because he could get away with it. However, there could be a problem, like even just being a bit slow. So, you are doing the right things by having her checked out. But, if she can do what you tell her too, I'm assuming she is just alittle more shy and timid than her sister and will come around in her own time.

Answer 4

I would imagine that the three year old is emulating thje actions of the two year old beacuse she see's that certain behaviors get the other what she wants. As to the speach my son is three years old and will be four in september and did not speak muck untill recently now ledgible full sentences are the norm and it's often hard to get him to shut up for five minutes.

Also it is possible that the three year old is acting in this manner just to get attention. Make a big deal out of the good things that she is doing and not so much with the negative. She will learn that there is little reaction to the unwanted behaviors and begin to do more of the wanted just to get that attention.

Answer 5

the person above who suggested autism knows what she's talking about....definitely have this one tested.

my friend's son has autism also and yeah, we noticed a HUGE difference between her two kids (more things than just "kids progress at different rates" these were HUGE developmental differences). She had tons of tests run and the kid works with a speech therapist too, but the doctor also tested the kid's ears, to make sure there wasn't hearing loss. He needed tubes in his ears and once those were in, the speech cleared up considerably. That didn't help the whole bottle thing and non-potty training, but it made it easier to understand him.

good luck!!

Answer 6

You should get in touch with Early Childhood Intervention in your area (your local school district could help you find them). They can offer her services free of charge and working with her they may have a better idea. At the very least she needs some sort of speech therapy. I know often with non-verbal or minimally verbal children you have more tantrums and unwanted behaviors because they are frustrated at not being able to sufficiently communicate their wants, needs and feelings. Once she has a better communication system it should help with some of the tantrums. There could be so many other things contributing though...she should be evaluated. Early Childhood Intervention is a great place to start. Good luck.

Answer 7

Ok...get this straight...NO TWO CHILDREN ARE EXACTALY ALIKE...NO TWO CHILDREN DEVLOP THE SAME WAY. Not even sisters, not even TWINS, not even IDENTINCAL twins. Every child is an individual. Just because a two year old is potty trained doesn't mean there is anythhing "wrong" with a three year old sibling who isn't. Just because a two year old can recite the Gettysburg Address doesn't mean her three year old sibling is "mentally deficiant". What it means is that the adults around these two children are NOT supportive proven by the fact that they are comparing the two TOTALLY different children as if they were robots off of an assembly line. So the three year old throws tantrums...perfectly NORMAL for a three year old...so she's not potty trained yet perfectly NORMAL for a three year old. So she doesn't speak well at her age perfectly NORMAL for a three year old. So would that mean her two year old sister was the ABNORMAL one...no, because BOTH behaviors are prefectly NORMAL for their ages and would as well if they were reveresed. If I told you whom I thought was the mentally deficient one you'd only report me for insulting you...however YOU have already done that yourself with your question.

Answer 8

If there is a "Birth to Three" program in your area, give them a call and see if they will come to your home for an evaluation. She's still three, so they will do it at your request. They can offer tips and point you to the professionals that you may need to see.

Answer 9

All children progress at different rates. It could have something to do with wanting more attention . Her younger sister gets babied more then she does im sure.

They spend their time together so that could be it.

Answer 10

Albert Einstein did not speak till he was 4 yrs. Not every child develops the same way at the same time. We have been forced to believe this but it is not that way. Every kid has to be seen individually. Some develop faster than others. That how nature works.