Is My Son Normal?

[forgivenmuch]

My Son Just Turned 3 In Sept. He Dont Want To Talk To Many People When We Are Out. He Talks Ok At Home..but When I Ask Him Something ..its Like Alot Of Times..he Repeats What I Say.
I Am Concered Here. He Talks Great..but It Just Seems Like Hes Not Getting What I Say Sometimes. More Often Than I Would Like. If I Ask Him Something He Says Yes Or No... Maybe I Want Him To Talk To Me And Ask Me Something .. Im Just Curious .. Hes The Only Child And Its Me And Him All The Time.. He Dont Spend Alot Of Time With Realitives Are Other Children .. Hes Hardly Ever Been Around Boys His Age .. I Am Calling Tomorrow To Have Him Put In A Day School To See If That Helps. I Love Him With All My Heart.. And Im Concerned That Hes Not Getting Enough People Interaction.. Should I Talk To His Ped? Any Advice Needed!

 

[andiesmama]

I would definately talk to his doctor if you have any concerns. Kids talk at different stages, and it could be that he's just shy, especially if he's mainly around only you most of the time.

I know with Andie (she turned 2 in June), I had to break myself (hubby as well) for answering questions FOR her....you know, she'd point to something she wanted or whatever, and we would just get it for her. We had to stop that to get her to start asking for stuff....and now that she's got the hang of it, she chatters all the time!! hehe

Talk to your ped, but also work with your son...and be patient! It'll come in time!!

 

[bliz]

Seek your doctor's opinion... but in order for it to be valid, you may want to provide a videotape of his talking at home. If he talks just fine at home, I wouldn't worry! He's become accoustomed to being with larger groups of people and other kids by the time he needs to be in school. At age 3, I'd suggest play dates with one other child rather than day care, but that's my preference.

 

[lucypevensie]

From the one paragraph your wrote your son sounds pretty normal to me. But if you are truly concerned it might just put your mind at ease to talk to his doc. It's a big job to go from crying and cooing to actual speech with actual words in just 3 years. He is talking and repeating so that's a good indicator that he at least knows how to speak. He's probably just shy, which is fine. I have one shy kid and I have to agree with what andiesmama said about answering questions for them. I have been soooo guilty of that and I should have nipped that right in the beginning. I think it has hindered my daughter socially! Take this advice and really try not to do that!

 

[LegacyOfLove]

He sounds pretty normal to me too. If you feel that you need a professional opinion, definately consult with your pediatrician! Also, some communities have programs like Head Start, where children of preschool age can get free evaluations...to see how they compare to others in their age range...and to figure out what your child's unique strengths and weaknesses may be. My 10 year old son, was pretty shy around others too, this became readily apparent when he went to kindergarten. Then, he slowly began to come out of his shell. So, it may in part just be your child's personality or maybe that he's so used to only talking with those he's really familiar with and it'll just take him some time. In the meantime, try talking with him more...even using his toys or stuffed animals to do role-playing...so that he can get more confidence in speaking and giving longer answers...as well as thinking about fun things he may want to talk about!

 

[CarrieAg93]

If you're concerned I would call your public school district. They are required to provide services for children, as needed, starting at age 3. They would first do a comprehensive evaluation to determine if there are any areas of weakness. If that evaluation determined that your son has some kind of speech or language delay they would provide the help he needs. The evaluation and any sevices they recommend are free to you so you have nothing to lose. I would recommend it to put your mind at ease and if there is a problem it's best to catch it as early as possible so he can get help. Good luck.

 

[forgivenmuch]

i am very bad at answering for him ..and telling him what to say.. it is my fault too im sure. i am real attached to him ..and i want to help him so much.. maybe i am hurting him and did not realize it. he talks pretty good..and he will answer somethings.. but he dont like i want him too. maybe its just me thinking the worse about it. i will talk to his ped anyway .. just to make sure. i think more interaction and a little less mommy would help him a great deal also. hes my only child ..and im 34 and i dont think i can have anymore.. i am so blessed to have him.. it took 8 yrs to get prego with him.. and it was a blessing from God. thanks for your post .. it really eases my mind.

 

[isaiah5213]

most of my children did that at age 3... (i have 8).. and i just saw it as them repeating my words, because they can... it could have become a habit to him..

in alot of ways, it was good, because it told me they heard what i said, and now i have to find out if they understood it...

and while one of my children could answer exactly as i wanted him to, 2 of my other children would just look at me, or they would say "i don't know" to almost any question i asked them... one time, in my sin and frustration, i told one of them to go into the corner till they did know, and immediately they spilled the complete answer to my question or demand... oh my gosh! that was a real eye opener...

while i don't recommend you do that, i do recommend you watch your frustration.. he could be caught up in being unsure of what you want from him, so because he is insecure or fearful of your reaction, his answer may verbally be "wrong" when his mind understands what he needs to know for the situation...

 

[jenelis]

Don't worry! Seems normal to me. I have a friend and coworker who had similar concerns. Her boy finally started interacting more regularly.

My 6-year-old, when we was little, she used to grunt and not answer questions. I finally started withholding and pretending that I didn't understand so she's HAVE to be more clear than a grunt. A few weeks of dealing with that, and I broke her of the habit.

I'm willing to bet its a habit and not a problem. I also agree, however, that the enxt time you're at the doctors, it would certainly be worth mentioning. Until then, try not to worry!