3 1/2 Year Olds

It doesn't sound normal to me, either. I would ask a pediatrician, then ask for recommendations for helping her.

At 3 1/2 i would think she should do those things as well. I would suggest talking to her parents and see what they notice. Have them talk with the primary care doctor and have her evaluated. I would start there.

Good luck

As others have mentioned, I would start with the pediatrician and the school district as well. The school does a free preschool screening. My daughter had a screening that was recommended by the preschool teacher for her speech. They missed it the first screening and I had to request a second one. But, we did get the help we needed. They screen for more than just speech, as I believe someone else mentioned. That is a good place to start. Trust your gut instincts. A child that age shouldn't be watching much tv anyway, it does shorten their attention span. She should know her alphabet, numbers, colors, etc. by now too.

What you are describing is not a typically developing 4 year old. There is help available through your granddaughter's local school district. They can do a full evaluation that includes physical, occupational, speech and academic testing. The evaluations and services are completely free! They may recommend a developmental preschool that includes physical and occupational therapy for granddaughter. Good luck!

I agree with what has already been said, that it sounds as if you granddaughter needs to be evaluated for developemental delay (a typically developing child should be able to get up from a sitting position around 1 year old - although not all children develop at the same rate). Jumping should be able to be done by this age as well (I have 4 kids, three developmentally delayed, one typically developing).

You don't say if you are the primary caregiver or if her parents are involved. If you are, I would suggest that you contact your local school about "Child Find" - that is a Federal program that every school district is required to have that starts at age 3 - although different districts call it different names - it is the Child Find program. In theory the pediatrician should be another good resource, but most pediatricians are not trained in child development. They tend to recognize it when it is severe and pointed out to them. Although I have seen Az Pediatricians come a long way in the last 4 years. Pediatricians should also know other places that you can refer.

If mom and dad are not concerned or aware of the need, then I would collect all the information (local phone # for school district, etc) and write it down. Sit down with parents when nothing else is going on, state your concerns and give the paper with the information down. Then let it go. Ultimately it is the direct caregivers responsibility to take care of these things.

Thank you for being a Grandma who cares. When I finally got my daughter evaluated, it was in part due to my Mother-in-laws concern as I was a first time mom and did not see what she did.

If your child is Developmentally Delayed, and you would like to talk/email with a mom with experience in this area, feel free to contact me.
K.

G.,

Your intuitiveness seems to be right on. At 3 and 1/2 she SHOULD be getting into things out of curiousity and asking LOTS of questions. At this age she should be jumping and be able to get up on her own. You or her parents need to get her to a developmental specialist asap. She needs extra help so that she can thrive physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitivly. It does not seem that the daycare she is attending is picking up on this. She will probably do better in a different setting. Her pediatrician should have referrals for you. I highly suggest contacting Southwest Human Development in Phx, Az. I believe the website is www.swhd.org. It is a non-profit organization that has many different programs to help children and their families. If they cannot help you, I know they will lead you in the right direction. Please don't hesitate on your gut feelings. Your granddaughter deserves to have a very full childhood to the best of her ability, and you and her parents will want and need others who can help you all work with her and guide her.

Best wishes,
A.

G., please take her right away to her pediatrician, with a list of your observations. A Developmental Pediatrician may need to be called in. They are often backed up, but your ped. can usually help you move up if the need is urgent. Our ped. kept telling me my son was normal, just highly intelligent and marched to a different drum. Well, at 4 I found out he has Aspergers, with it's list of varying symptoms. The peds need all of the info to see what's really happening because they see our kids for such a short time.

In addition, as someone mentioned, call you school district for early intervention testing. They can help you through the ACADEMIC maze - not the personal and interacting one really. It's good of you to be concerned. Only by researching and asking for help will any help be found.

yes, this sounds like a problem. try turning off the tv and taking her on daily walks. try taking her to the playground daily, kick the ball, have her catch, show her how to jump. be an example. if these seem way off base, i would consult your physician who can give you specialists to have her tested.

First of all, where are your granddaughter's parents? This is their responsibility, not yours. Have you talked to them about your concerns? Also, some of the things you were mentioning may indicate a sensory processing disorder (my son has it, but he is the opposite of lethargic!) Every child has it differently. I would start with the pediatrician and move on from there. Usually SPD has to be diagnosed by a neurologist, but we went straight to the occupational therapist. If she's fine in all of these areas, maybe she's just being lazy. But I agree with you - her behavior is not normal for a 4-year-old and I would want some answers too!

I agree that you're a wonderful grandma for noticing these things and wanting to help her. Her parents should also be noticing these things and taking action. I can't believe the daycare hasn't mentioned anything either. I definitely think you should express your concerns to her parents as she needs to be screened and evaluated. I agree that it sounds like she could possibly have SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), or as some call it, SID (Sensory Integration Disorder). (Our 4 1/2 yr old daughter has SPD and on the opposite end of things as she's constantly in motion and sensory seeking.) The school dist. she lives in should be contacted so a screening can be set up. It costs nothing for the school dist to screen her....and evaluate her. She can also see her Pediatrician and get a referral to a Developmental Pediatrician.
You're doing the right thing and your granddaughter is blessed to have you in her life!

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It does sound like she should be evaluated. You have some great advice here. Also, I would look into what activities are provided at daycare. Do the kids just watch tv or videos all day? Some think of that as daycare, and doing so does not allow a child to develop thinking skills or physical skills as they should. Make sure her daycare is high quality.

You sound like a wonderful grandma to be concerned about your precious granddaughter. I think you are correct in being concered. Do you know if any of these obstacles for her have been brought up at her pediatrician check-ups? I know our pediatrician would always ask us about certain developmental milestones and would ask us if she is doing specific things. This would be a great place to start if it has not been brought up already becasue they would know what to test from there.
You state she attends daycare, do you know how she does there? Does she experience the same physical obstacles there? Does she seem to like daycare and feel safe and not bored there?
Another area I might look into is to have her hearing and vision checked again as well. I know they screen for this when they are newborns but not again until school age.
To encourage her skills I would turn off the television (it is a vacuum for children's attention, my daughter included) and talk to her, sing with her, dance with her, play with her outside, or read to her. All of these hands on and physical activities not only help her learn but also help you bond and give you an opportunity to take note and observe what seems to be the problem. How children respond to books, music, puzzles, and activity can give you clues that you can tell her pediatrician. I hope this helps and wish the best of luck to you and your granddaughter.

What you described does not sound normal for a 3.5 year old. My son's Physical Therapist told me that kids usually jump about a year after they start walking. My son is developmentally delayed, has been walking for about a year, but still not jumping. As a contrast, my best friend's 22 month old daughter can jump.

That combined with not being able to get up from sitting on the floor without assistance could mean that she needs some support in developing her motor skills. Call your local child find and/or talk to her pediatrician about having her evaluated for physical therapy. I'm surprised her pediatrician has not picked up on any of these things that you are seeing. I'm also surprised her child care program hasn't brought up these concerns.

Continue to encourage her skills - doing through play works best. I know we try to keep most kids from doing this, but let her jump on the bed or on a small trampoline if you have access. My son will jump from a step in the swimming pool - because he is more receptive to things that relate to swimming. Try to find out what she really likes and make up games/activities that fit into what she likes. To help with upper body strength/getting up from the floor, pretend to be animals by crawling around the room and then be an animal on their hind legs and then work to standing while you are playing "animals."

A pediatric PT can give you more suggestions. I highly recommend having her evaluated for Physical Therapy services. Good luck to you and your granddaughter.

You've had a ton of great advice already. She needs to be evaluated asap. I just wanted to comment on one thing - I would be VERY concerned about this "daycare" she goes to. If they have not picked up on this, they are NOT paying attention.

Our son (adopted) spent the first year of his life in an orphanage. What you describe sounds so much like the typical orphanage child - which is very worrying. Whether the child has true disabilities or not, it sounds as if she is in an "institutional/orphanage" setting with little or no stimulation, lots of sitting still staring at a tv screen, emotional neglect. Her physical delays along with her lack of curiosity remind me so much of the kids we saw in the orphanage - kids who just become so accustomed to getting no stimulation, no feedback that they stop expecting it. They don't expect or seek a reaction from others, so they kind of "turn off" and become very placid, very blank.

I may be way off base here, but your story sent up red flags in my heart. See a pediatrician, get her evaluated through early intervention, and please delve deeper into this daycare provider. I can't help but worry that she may be suffering from some emotional or physical neglect. Regardless, whether the delays are caused by medical issues or environmental issues, she needs to be helped and catching these delays early can make a world of difference. Your granddaughter is lucky to have you looking out for her.
Good Luck.

I would really advise that you have your granddaughter screened at the local school district preschool. They can look at her development in the areas of communication, cognitive, adaptive, social and motor. They will tell you if she is developing typically, or they may recommend further testing. If it is determined that she does indeed have developmental delays, she may be eligible for special education services and could go to a special needs preschool program. In the preschool, then, they would specifically target and work on those areas of need. At the very least, going to this screening could help ease your mind and they could maybe give you some support as to how to help her at home.

Good luck!!

Not normal. Check it out asap. She is not doing enough (the people around her, whether at daycare or home, are not doing enough, or she is lost in the shuffle because she is so "easy" and quiet to care for.)
Does she have siblings? involved parents? Can you talk to the parents and would they share your concern or feel defensive/deny any problems? Something's not right here. Definitely try interactive activities, coloring, singing, pattycake, etc.

If there is a delay or disorder of some kind, there is NOTHING to be ashamed of, and a great urgency in getting screened & therapy ASAP for whatever (autism, developmental delay, physical therapy, whatever) The sooner it's diagnosed and started, and the more intervention she has, the better her chances of functioning "normal" later in life.

There with ya honey! I have a 3-1/2 year old son who is developmentally delayed. He's not having physical proplems but more of the mental development. At first we thought he was autistic, well no one is confident in that diagnosis. Before he turned 3, he had three specialists come out to our house at seperate times: Speech, Devolopmental, and Occupational. THey did wonders. However when he turned 3, his care was turned over to the state. He has been and still is in a special preschool class that have those specialists. Just not as frequent. We are in the process of getting extra help. That is an example of the path that can be taken. Your daughter needs a lot of help. She is no way near her age developmentally. Believe it or not there is a division of DES (Department of Economical Security) that deals with any type of delay, disability, etc. Here in AZ that division is DDD. Check it out from DES. It may take a few phone calls but it's worth it. And the other great part is that it is federally funded help! I haven't had to pay for anything! There are resources out there it just takes work to get them.