What's wrong? Why my toddler won't talk (autism, baby, games)

[ConcernedMike]

My son knows to count 1-40. He knows his abc's and how has memorized the words to all of his brainy baby videos almost. He knows colors and shapes if asked. But he just won't converse. He's three years and two months. Is he stubborn? Have we made it too easy for him since he has gotten everything in the world without having to speak? We try to make him speak by nit complying with what he wants until he answers us. For example he wants a cookie. I'll say "what's this ? " he'll say "cookie" and I'll say "tell daddy you want the cookie". It's 50/50 that he'll get frustrated and upset. Or that he'll start saying " iwant I want I want" at best. Sometimes I feel bad like I, treating him to do a trick for me like a puppy. He's interactive and very social with other kids. I've checked like 50 autisms sites and he never meets more then one symptom of many. He's extremely smart. He takes my iPhone or iPad and plays price is right or bejeweled and plays the games with logic and to win! He also plays the wii with relative ease. Maybe he is slow to talk or maybe somethings wrong. Any advice from any other concerned parents.

[Sgoldie]

Do you talk to him in conversational form? If he doesn't hear people talking to each other and to him he may not recognize it as something to do.

My son was two years old and while nursing suddenly broke free to start a full blown complex conversation with me out of the blue. He'd never done anything like that before.

You may also want to get his hearing checked out.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by ConcernedMike

My son knows to count 1-40. He knows his abc's and how has memorized the words to all of his brainy baby videos almost. He knows colors and shapes if asked. But he just won't converse. He's three years and two months. Is he stubborn? Have we made it too easy for him since he has gotten everything in the world without having to speak? We try to make him speak by nit complying with what he wants until he answers us. For example he wants a cookie. I'll say "what's this ? " he'll say "cookie" and I'll say "tell daddy you want the cookie". It's 50/50 that he'll get frustrated and upset. Or that he'll start saying " iwant I want I want" at best. Sometimes I feel bad like I, treating him to do a trick for me like a puppy. He's interactive and very social with other kids. I've checked like 50 autisms sites and he never meets more then one symptom of many. He's extremely smart. He takes my iPhone or iPad and plays price is right or bejeweled and plays the games with logic and to win! He also plays the wii with relative ease. Maybe he is slow to talk or maybe somethings wrong. Any advice from any other concerned parents.

He may be fine, but there is no harm in getting an evaluation for speech delays. First check his hearing. Even if he is hearing somewhat, he may be like my granddaughter who had fluid in her ears and consequently was hearing as if she was underwater. Once we got that cleared up (might need antibiotics, might need tubes, might need adenoids and tonsils removed or something else), she quickly caught up.

Since he is already 3, call your local school district and have them give him a full evaluation. If you have trouble with the school district, call your local early intervention people and ask them to refer you to someone for evaluations. A good speech language pathologist can do this and your pediatrician may be able to refer you. Your insurance *should* cover the evaluation, but you may need to check on that. Has he been to preschool yet?

He might have an auditory processing disorder and not be able to get the words from his brain to his mouth.

Children with autism, btw, are often quite intelligent. They often read before they talk and they often memorize things from the tv or videos as well. Autism is not the end of the world. Autistic kids can be social, but they usually don't know *how* to enter the play of other kids and this is especially true when they don't have the language skills. He probably is not autistic, but that doesn't rule out other conditions. My grandson knew colors, shapes, the alphabet before he was 2, but he did not say them, he used the computer to show us he knew them. He also showed us he could pick these things out with his therapists. He was diagnosed at 18 months, but he was pretty classic and easy to pick out back then. He is now going to a regular mainstreamed Kindergarten although we have held him back a year, so he is 6.

Check out this website for where he *should* be with language. He does sound quite delayed. If you need to talk more or want more info, send me a private message and we can exchange emails.

Delayed Speech or Language Development

Dorothy

[fallingwater]

Have you discussed your concerns with your pediatrician? Have you had a hearing test performed? Sometimes hearing issues can delay speech.

[ConcernedMike]

I left out one major detail. Or two I should say. He was checked by a pediatrician who gave us a survey to read and fill out to see approx where he needs help but ruled out hearing or autistic problems. Also I want to mention this. For the first year of his life he was cared for by my aunt who does not speak any English. Zero. When we moved cities he was cold turkey back to English speakers only. So we kind of lost a year of fundamental learning and communicating time. My second son who was English only since birth was deemed to be "on time" or at the basic levels for his age.

[fallingwater]

I am not a professional but I wouldn't think the Aunt caring for your child would cause issues in speech. I say this because many children grow up in bi-lingual households. I would encourage talking with him in great length, praise his speech and so forth. Follow up with the doctor in a month. You may just have a late bloomer on your hands. If you do not see delays in other development.

[malamute]

It's not all that uncommon for kids to not talk at that age and they can be perfectly normal. It may or may not have something to do with the two languages. My son didn't talk until age 3 and didn't talk in school until 3rd grade and is in early college and considered very bright. I know of a girl who didn't talk until age 6, not a peep even around her family but is above normal intelligence, when she decided to talk, her speech was normal.

[Padgett2]

Maybe you are just pushing too hard. Some people are never good at conversation. Give him time.

[KylieEve]

Why don't you bring him to a pediatrician/ Its not normal that he isn't talking yet.

[KylieEve]

Originally Posted by ConcernedMike

I left out one major detail. Or two I should say. He was checked by a pediatrician who gave us a survey to read and fill out to see approx where he needs help but ruled out hearing or autistic problems. Also I want to mention this. For the first year of his life he was cared for by my aunt who does not speak any English. Zero. When we moved cities he was cold turkey back to English speakers only. So we kind of lost a year of fundamental learning and communicating time. My second son who was English only since birth was deemed to be "on time" or at the basic levels for his age.

That has nothing to do with it. He is 3 and he should be speaking in sentences. The fact that he is not is troubling. If youyr pediatrician can't figure it out. Get him referred to a specialist.