# Toddler confusing blue and yellow. Potential colorblind issue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436 "2012-03-11T02:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/1 "2012-03-11T02:37:15Z")
My two year old boy, I must say, knows his colors almost without fail. One exception that I keep noticing is that when presented with something that is blue or yellow, he will sometimes (not irregularly) guess the other. When prompted he will change his answer directly to the correct color. It’s happened enough that I have taken note, and I don’t recall it happening with any other color pairs. I looked up some articles on colorblindness, but the closest I could come was [tritanopia,](http://www.colblindor.com/2006/05/08/tritanopia-blue-yellow-color-blindness/) or blue/yellow colorblindness. It sounds like a promising explanation, except that he has no problem with other shades that should be effected; he has no problem naming at first go orange, purple, green, or even pink for that matter. Come to think of it, ‘orange’ was the first color he named. So is there something I’m potentially missing from the standpoint of his perception? Or is it just something that got confused early in the learning process that will work itself out? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/2 "2012-03-11T02:42:38Z")
Talk to your child’s doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/3 "2012-03-11T02:52:02Z")
Blue-Yellow colorblindness is pretty darn rare, though. Although it’s not an inheritable trait like Red-Green, which gets much more press. 🙂 Blue-Yellow is a random genetic quirk, from what I’ve read. Red-Green affects something like 5% of males, and like .05% of females. Blue-Yellow, on the other hand, affects something like .01% of males and females. And that number most likely includes individuals who are merely Blue-Yellow _deficient_, with the true number of Blue-Yellow colorblindness being quite a lot lower than that, even. I think it’s more likely to be that your son just gets the NAMES for these colors mixed up in his head. Although a quick trip to the optometrist could probably put your mind at ease. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/4 "2012-03-11T03:00:56Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > I think it’s more likely to be that your son just gets the NAMES for these colors mixed up in his head. This. He is two for Pete’s sake. He is still learning to talk. There are a lot of words to learn. It is hard. In any case, if he _is_ colorblind: [ol] [li]It really is not a very serious handicap. Heck, nobody ever noticed that colorblindness was a thing until [1794](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalton#Colour_blindness).[/li][li]There’s not a darn thing you or anyone else can do about it.[/li][li](Obligatory mention of Opal.)[/li][/ol] Doctors, optometrists, etc. can’t help with colorblindness. There is no cure, no treatment. However, it does not really matter (unless you are determined that he will grow up to be a fashion designer or something). Don’t worry. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/5 "2012-03-11T03:24:54Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > I think it’s more likely to be that your son just gets the NAMES for these colors mixed up in his head. Although a quick trip to the optometrist could probably put your mind at ease. > [@njtt](#): > > This. > > He is two for Pete’s sake. He is still learning to talk. There are a lot of words to learn. It is hard. > > In any case, if he _is_ colorblind: > [ol] > [li]It really is not a very serious handicap. Heck, nobody ever noticed that colorblindness was a thing until [1794](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalton#Colour_blindness).[/li][li]There’s not a darn thing you or anyone else can do about it.[/li][li](Obligatory mention of Opal.)[/li][/ol] > > Doctors, optometrists, etc. can’t help with colorblindness. There is no cure, no treatment. However, it does not really matter (unless you are determined that he will grow up to be a fashion designer or something). Don’t worry. Well, first off I’m not worried! Just curious about it. Of course if I am concerned about a condition, I will consult a doctor. Ok, did remember that he confuses black and white…it just didn’t register as much because it makes more sense to me that he would get those two mixed up, rather than two dissimilar colors. Of course it makes sense that he could confuse the names of colors. Just wondered if it could be a perception thing, or a learning thing. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/6 "2012-03-11T14:46:19Z")
My mom told me that when I was about your son’s age, they thought I might be colorblind, but only with respect to certain colors. It seems that whenever I was presented with a red object, I would identify it as blue (and vice-versa). It turned out that I just had the names mixed up. So yeah, I’m gonna guess that’s what happened to your son. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/7 "2012-03-11T17:57:13Z")
Fear not. As [this article in Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-johnny-name-colors) explains, the English language is to blame. We put the color descriptor first, so instead of saying, “the shoe that is blue,” we say “the blue shoe.” It may not seem like a big deal, but for a brain developing its understanding of language and how it relates to the world around it, it can be very confusing. One has to reverse word order to gain context of what is being described. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/8 "2012-03-11T18:30:39Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Fear not. > As [this article in Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-johnny-name-colors) explains, the English language is to blame. We put the color descriptor first, so instead of saying, “the shoe that is blue,” we say “the blue shoe.” It may not seem like a big deal, but for a brain developing its understanding of language and how it relates to the world around it, it can be very confusing. One has to reverse word order to gain context of what is being described. Upon reading the subject line this was the first thing that popped into my mind. ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/9 "2012-03-12T02:22:41Z")
This is entirely anecdotal, but that seems to be what most parenting advice is. 🙂 I have a three-year old son. When he was two, he used to get blue and yellow mixed up too … it straightened itself out within a few months. He still, sometimes, gets black and white confused, and he hasn’t mastered brown or gray yet. (Then again, he’s male – have any of us?) He more or less knows his numbers in order from 1 - 20, and he can recognize the letters of the alphabet – but he hasn’t yet learned that they’re different sets. So, for instance, if one of his toy trains isn’t numbered, and I ask him to pick a number, he’ll he’ll suggest … number B. Or number K. I figure he’ll get there eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/10 "2012-03-12T02:26:55Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > My mom told me that when I was about your son’s age, they thought I might be colorblind, but only with respect to certain colors. It seems that whenever I was presented with a red object, I would identify it as blue (and vice-versa). It turned out that I just had the names mixed up. So yeah, I’m gonna guess that’s what happened to your son. I think that’s probably what’s happening. See below! > [@garygnu](#): > > Fear not. > As [this article in Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-johnny-name-colors) explains, the English language is to blame. We put the color descriptor first, so instead of saying, “the shoe that is blue,” we say “the blue shoe.” It may not seem like a big deal, but for a brain developing its understanding of language and how it relates to the world around it, it can be very confusing. One has to reverse word order to gain context of what is being described. Exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Very informative! > [@StephenG](#): > > This is entirely anecdotal, but that seems to be what most parenting advice is. 🙂 > > I have a three-year old son. When he was two, he used to get blue and yellow mixed up too … it straightened itself out within a few months. He still, sometimes, gets black and white confused, and he hasn’t mastered brown or gray yet. (Then again, he’s male – have any of us?) > > He more or less knows his numbers in order from 1 - 20, and he can recognize the letters of the alphabet – but he hasn’t yet learned that they’re different sets. So, for instance, if one of his toy trains isn’t numbered, and I ask him to pick a number, he’ll he’ll suggest … number B. Or number K. I figure he’ll get there eventually. I have a theory that the only non-primary color than many men know is ‘chartreuse’ …and that’s because it’s a color of fishing lure. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/11 "2012-03-12T08:52:58Z")
You need to test your son for colour recognition seperatly from the language recognition. Saying “Show me the blue card” brings language into it. Instead, you would need a test like researchers do with animals to find out what colours they can differentiate: two identical boxes, the lids in different colours, one box has the toy or a M&M in it. Start with obviously different colours and then go to very similar hues. If the kid is uncertain which box contains the reward, then the colours are no longer distinguishable. Example: > [@](#): > > One study compared some young children from England with kids from a tribe in Nambia. In the English language, young kids usually learn 11 basic colors (black, white, gray, red, green, blue, yellow, pink, orange, purple and brown) but in Himba it’s only five. For instance, they lump red, orange and pink together and call it “serandu.” > > If you showed the Himba toddler a pink card and then later showed him a red one and ask if they’re the same card, the kid would often mistakenly say yes – because they’re both “serandu.” Same as if you showed you “Eggshell” and an hour later showed you “Bone” and asked if it was the same card from before. Now, again, they can see the colors; if you hold up a pink card and a red card next to each other, the English kid and Himba kid both would say they’re different. But not when they see them one at a time. > > But if you teach him the new names for the colors, that one is “pink” and the other is “red,” from then on he can identify them when seen by themselves, without the other one for comparison. Same as the girl or interior decorator who can immediately identify “eggshell” as distinct from “ivory” the moment she sees it on a wall, while her boyfriend couldn’t do it with a gun to his head. The ability to recognize the color comes with having a name for it. > > Read more: 5 Insane Ways Words Can Control Your Mind | [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) [5 Insane Ways Words Can Control Your Mind | Cracked.com](http://www.cracked.com/article_18823_5-insane-ways-words-can-control-your-mind.html#ixzz1otIviJu9) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-confusing-blue-and-yellow-potential-colorblind-issue/615436/12 "2012-03-12T11:18:43Z")
**Sicks Ate** , here’s a thread I posted about a similar issue: [I’ve been starting to worry that Piper Cub is colour-blind](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=604487) The issue has resolved itself. 😛 I hope yours does too.