# Speech patterns of a 3 year old. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898 "2009-06-25T02:29:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/21 "2009-06-25T22:09:36Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > A close friend of mine has a child who was behaving in much the same way as the child in the OP - no language production, no response to his own name, no comprehension. I recommended a hearing test (fearing it was actually autism), but since I do not have children, my opinions regarding my friends’ children are invalid and suspect (yes, they’ve said that. I have new friends now). > > Took another 6 months before they FINALLY noticed what everybody else noticed, and had him tested. Autism. > > Parents sometimes are too close to the situation to see what other people see. On the other other hand, to be fair, there is a growing skepticism among young parents toward the “paranoid” approach to parenting. And I approve of this. But of course it is possible to swing too far in the other direction. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/22 "2009-06-26T00:01:11Z")
When my older brother went to get tested for kindergarten at the private school he went to, he apparently refused to speak with his mouth hanging open, a bit of drool coming out. They were getting ready to refuse him, but our mom stirred him up. He’s a doctor now. He was a very, very shy child. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/23 "2009-06-26T00:20:17Z")
I don’t think shyness would necessarily mean this. Even if a kid was very shy, they still talk at that age, to themselves or to there stuffed animals. We have a little girl who will bring down her stuffed animals in the lobby and play “Oprah” or whatever talk show host she is. My flat is by the lobby so I can sometimes hear her and she yaks away even when she’s alone. I’ve seen kids babble on and on, singing and skipping to themseleves. Kids seem to LIKE to make speech, even if it doesn’t make sense to the world. Nothing is worse when the kids get to the age when they realize they can answer the phone, but they don’t understand speech has content. So they pick the phone up and babble into it, thinking this is what there parents do. I would start with hearing and go from there. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/24 "2009-06-26T00:36:01Z")
We still haven’t had an answer from **dale** if s/he knows that the kid is like this at home with the parents, if if this is just from personal observations. Apparently the kid “babbles”. When my second daughter was just gone three a lot of people started surprising me with comments like “wow! she’s talking to me!” when she’d actually been talking fine for ages, just with atrocious pronunciation. And she still babbles sometimes even now (almost four) when she’s got nothing to say be just wants to hear the sound of her own voice ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/25 "2009-06-26T01:09:05Z")
> [@fandango](#): > > Albert Einstein didn’t start talking until he was about three. Children develop differently. I’d be more concerned if there were behavioral issues. Well, many believe that Einstein had an Autistic Spectrum disorder, too (specifically Asberger’s). ([cite](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2988647.stm)) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/26 "2009-06-26T03:34:24Z")
I don’t know if the 3 year old talks at home with his mom. Tonight I was at home with the child and was hoping that having been here for a day, he’d be more comfortable and start speaking. I’d describe the speech tonight as a combination of babble and ‘caveman’ speech. No actual words but a combination of, “wuh wuh wuh wuh…” I tried to ask him quite a few questions, “Do you want to watch cartoons? I have Wall E.” Do you want to play with the monkey? The monkey wants a banana. Do you want a piece of banana? I tried to see if the child would at least shake his head for yes or no. I didn’t see any gestures that would indicate that he was nodding yes or shaking his head for no. The boy does live on an Indian reservation although English is the only language spoken in the house. I thought about asking the mother if he’s been through hearing and vision tests. I can easily joke about my own bad vision. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/27 "2009-06-26T04:21:15Z")
There could definitely be some language confusion going on there - is he around non-English speakers other than his parents much? My eldest daughter’s best friend last year was a little boy who’d come here from Tanzania at around 2 and a half. Apparently he responded to the linguistic change by stopping speaking his native language (Swahili) altogether and inventing a whole language of his own, nothing like either language, which nobody could understand. I’d be looking for other behavioural cues - what did he do all day while he was home with you? Three years olds are generally deeply into imaginative play with their toys or cars or whatever. Absence of that would be another potentially bad sign. Is this the first time you’ve looked after him all day? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/28 "2009-06-26T17:08:39Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I don’t know if the 3 year old talks at home with his mom. Tonight I was at home with the child and was hoping that having been here for a day, he’d be more comfortable and start speaking. I’d describe the speech tonight as a combination of babble and ‘caveman’ speech. No actual words but a combination of, “wuh wuh wuh wuh..” I tried to ask him quite a few questions, “Do you want to watch cartoons? I have Wall E.” Do you want to play with the monkey? The monkey wants a banana. Do you want a piece of banana? I tried to see if the child would at least shake his head for yes or no. I didn’t see any gestures that would indicate that he was nodding yes or shaking his head for no. > > The boy does live on an Indian reservation although English is the only language spoken in the house. > > I thought about asking the mother if he’s been through hearing and vision tests. I can easily joke about my own bad vision. How does he react to sound in general? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/29 "2009-06-26T19:26:17Z")
My guess is Austim Spectrum disorder or some hearing issues. Does he seem to be normal sized ( of what you know about 3 years old.) Don’t flame me, but the mention of living on an Indian Reservation ( where alcoholism is a very prevalent problem) I am thinking maybe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. There are two sisters at our school that are FAS kids. They are so abnormally small in size (both still look like kindergarteners or maybe first graders, despite being in 3rd and 4th grade) Just thought I would throw that out there. ---
**Author:** ![fandango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5ac83/32.png) [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/30 "2009-06-26T19:55:05Z")
Will he keep eye contact with you at all? If not, that’s another mark in the Autism column. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/31 "2009-06-26T20:05:48Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > My guess is Austim Spectrum disorder or some hearing issues. > > Does he seem to be normal sized ( of what you know about 3 years old.) Don’t flame me, but the mention of living on an Indian Reservation ( where alcoholism is a very prevalent problem) I am thinking maybe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. > There are two sisters at our school that are FAS kids. They are so abnormally small in size (both still look like kindergarteners or maybe first graders, despite being in 3rd and 4th grade) > > Just thought I would throw that out there. Here’s an article about language development in FAS Indian children: [http://www2.ku.edu/~splh/project\_circle/afisher/research.html](http://www2.ku.edu/~splh/project_circle/afisher/research.html). I’m no expert, but based on what the OP observed, I’d say Autism Spectrum is more likely, but FAS could be involved as well. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/32 "2009-06-28T23:33:19Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest;11283650Does he seem to be normal sized ( of what you know about 3 years old.) Don’t flame me, but the mention of living on an Indian Reservation ( where alcoholism is a very prevalent problem) I am thinking maybe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.[/QUOTE] The boy does seem to be of normal size. However, I know the father abused alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/33 "2009-06-28T23:34:28Z")
> [@fandango](#): > > Will he keep eye contact with you at all? If not, that’s another mark in the Autism column. Nope, not at all. He looks away. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/34 "2009-06-28T23:38:32Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > How does he react to sound in general? He doesn’t seem to notice it. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/35 "2009-06-28T23:48:00Z")
That’s all sounding pretty indicative of problems. Would the mother get a doctor to look at him if you prompted her, do you think? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/36 "2009-06-29T01:39:12Z")
_If_ your understanding of this child’s language in your house is a good sample of what this child’s language is at home and overall, then there is very likely a problem. To diagnose based on second hand observations would be foolish however. Which begs the question - what action (or inaction) is appropriate for you to take, given honest concerns, given that your opinion was not requested? What is your relationship to the parents? Would it be intrusive for you to comment or appreciated? A certain sensitivity is required. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/37 "2009-06-29T04:25:18Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > He doesn’t seem to notice it. If he doesn’t notice sound at all, then a hearing problem seems apparent, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/38 "2009-06-29T06:06:52Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > If he doesn’t notice sound at all, then a hearing problem seems apparent, doesn’t it? Not necessarily. The child of a friend to whom I referred in an above post in this thread (yea, I’m an idiot about posting links to threads) didn’t seem to respond to sound at all, but professional sophisticated testing determined a lack of hearing problems but a presence of profound autism. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/39 "2009-06-29T08:20:05Z")
> [@Bartman](#): > > Begins to understand “not” Goodness knows my daughter got to understand and use that one quickly enough :rolleyes:😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898/40 "2009-06-29T17:05:03Z")
Sounds like my four year old daughter’s speech about a year ago. She has auditory processing disorder and her speech is delayed; her initial tests had her at the level of speech of a 12 month old at the age of three. Now it’s almost at the level of a three year old at 4.5. Initially she was diagnosed with autism because her speech was mostly echolalic (in addition to several other features). She still does that but now she replies after she processes the question herself. So you say “Where is Curious George?” You’ll get a reply like " 'Reos George? There he is!" Whereas before you’d just get the “reos George?” in a flat voice with no clue as to how to answer. It’s been really kind of cool watching her change so fast through therapy. Now she shows almost no symptoms of autism, so they’ve changed her dx to sensory processing disorder with autistic symptom history, plus severe speech delay. Auditory processing is part of the sensory processing disorder but she has other features too. Nobody knows how it happens. I didn’t drink or do drugs. There weren’t any traumas during pregnancy and she was very healthy at birth. She was always a very nervous, high strung baby but she crawled and walked quite early and her pre-school testing shows her to be above-average when it comes to spatial reasoning and that sort of thing. She can copy patterns adults have problems with, but only if you show her, not if you tell her out loud what to do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speech-patterns-of-a-3-year-old/500898.md?page=3)