My twin boys are almost 3 1/2 but were preemies. Both were speech delayed initially but one of my sons had supposedly caught up when evaluated for school district services last spring. He also was discharged from private ST quite a while ago. Both boys attend a developmental preschool, my supposedly typical son as a "peer model." But his conversational skills seem behind his peers. He doesn't really converse yet. He has lots of words and sentences and seems to understand everything. I am just not sure what to expect for 3 year old boys, as I heard there is a wide range at this age. What are others' experiences with this age of boys? Should I get him re-evaluated?
It does sound like kids can be all over the map. To clarify, my son T DOES talk non-stop and has a very large vocabulary. It is just that he isn't really doing the "conversational" thing, like telling me a story or answering questions more elaborately. He tends to be more descriptive rather than conversational. Like telling me about the things he sees around him: "The cat has black and white fur!" or "My sister is wearing a red shirt!" He seems very proud of himself and excited to share this information. He doesn't really tell me a story yet, like "what I did in school today" or that kind of thing. Anyway, I noticed both him and his twin brother (the one diagnosed with speech delay) have been experiencing a speech explosion this week, so maybe we will see some progress! Thanks everyone!
Also... "typical" children in developmental programs tend to actually be quite a bit behind their peers in ordinary programs... because while the atypical kids model after them, they ALSO model after the atypical kids.
One of the first things I would do is ask the preschool teacher for an opinion. In my experience, there is a fairly wide range of communication common to 3 1/2 year olds. I have a 10 y.o. and a 12 y.o. They began conversing fluently at different ages. However, I can tell you that both of them are now verbally proficient and have honed their argumentative skills to a fine art.
If your son is not frequently frustrated by an inability to communicate, I'd say he's doing just fine.
M.
There's a wide range at this age.
Yup.
And, they're twins.
So they communicate w/one another.
I don't think knowing what 10 other kids do at this age
is going to help you figure out what to do w/your child.
He has words.
He has sentences.
He seems to understand.
Sounds good to me.
Good luck.
They may be twins but are they fraternal? Otherwise they would more than likely be on a par with one another.
Do not fret. Many boys including Einstein don't say much until they are four years old and then the trouble begins. Not a single question...just a stream from the time they get up until they go to bed.
Talk to him. Read to him and love them both with all your heart.
Hi, my boys are/were both pretty conversational at 3.5 (they are 4.75 and 3.5 now). This isn't to say they speek perfectly, but for the most part I can understand them and they like to say a lot.
My oldest was born with a cleft palate and started ST at 18 months because they knew he would have problems with certain letters. He was also discharged from ST at 3 years old because he was not "significantly delayed" - which is the whole reason I wanted him there, so that by kindergarten he would be right where he should be. We took a little time off, but then I enrolled him in ST with a private speech therapist and our insurance covers most of it but we still end up paying about $40 a visit. He now has most of his letters down pretty well, except the ones that kids usually learn a little later, but I think it has helped him a lot. Sometimes to help with the cost I've just had him go once a month and his therapist has given me little worksheets and tips to work with for the month. Good luck!
Albert Einstein didn't talk till he was four. Speech therapy causes emotional problems because the child thinks that something is wrong with him. Just let your boys be and the best is without preschool.
My middle son didn't speak at all till three. He is a 4.0 student, a speaker and writer. He is considered a prodigy. So, just relax.
My son, who is three-and-a-half, talks non-stop with an incredible vocabulary, but he is not typical from what I've seen. He has a number of friends his age and you're right, there is a huge range at this age. Some of the boys still do a lot of baby talk while others talk like my son and others are somewhere in between. I would say if he's talking and has a wide range of words and sentences like you've said, then, don't worry about it. What do the preschool teachers say? Also, I've read that twins develop slower than other children. I have twin boys myself, but they are 15 months old, so I don't know yet if that's true, but they did walk two three months later than my older son. Who knows?
My son just turned 3 in July. He is a little chatter box! He just talks and talks all day long, and very clearly too. But, he does have an older sister to talk to all day and he is in preschool 2 half days a week. My daughter was also an early talker. She started at 12 months old, and my son was about 13 months old when he started talking. I would say if your worried, then have him checked.
