3 year old and still not talking!

bebe

bebe

Member
My boy is turning 3 in another 2 days time and he speech is still not there. He is able to say bu yao("no"in mandarin), da("beat" in mandarin), papa, mama, cat, dog, pig etc but not anything more than 3 words sentences. He is attending a 3 hr playgroup and teacher says he is able to follow when instructions is given. Teacher says it's normal for a child to be like this and he will eventually pick up his speech.
Does anyone also having the same problem like me?
Pls advise.
 


How about bringing your son to see a professional speech therapy for an assessment?

You may also refer to the Health Booklet as a reference, see if he is able to achieve most of the task listed under the "Assessment at 2 to 3 years" pages.
 
Mickey,

Last time my boy almost 3 then noes how to talk too. I am not too worried for him that time as he can understand most of the instructions. Now he is quite a chatterbox.... If you worried, can bring your son for assessment and they will refer you to speech therapist.
 
My girl already 21 month but still refuse to speak.

Like some doc say these kids after three became a chatterbox ... keekeekee
 
My daughter is coming to 3 in june, also she is still not speaking yet, just very few words, papa mama etc. I will be bringing her to KKH for an assessment, if you are really worried u can get a referral too? She understands instructions just like your son.My mom told me my elder brother only started talking when he was 3,
happy.gif
 
my son is 24months when we took him to communication for life at woodlands civic centre level4. now we can see the improvement. mummies, you can try to go there.
 
tis problem normally affect boys.my son dun talk muc b4 3 n i switch him 2 full day childcare 2 interact more w other kid when 2+.hv even go 4 multiple speech therapy at nuh but dun reali helps.out of d blue when aro 3 ,he started 2 talk more n nw is a chatterbox at 4+.perhap u can put him in full day childcare as i believe it do helps.
 
i have a boy who just turn two and does not talk much, prob one hand can count and the words not even clear. he can follow instructions well but communicate by pointing, grunting or various expressions. very diff from my elder gal who could speak in short sentences by 18 mths......

Not too concerned cos i realise most boys are slow in speech and many have told me that their sons do not speak till 3 or 4. As long as they are healthy and happy, i think no need to fret too much.
 
Hi,
Is the thread still on?? I have a 2yrs old (25mth) son who have speech delay too, He seldom babble when is small, he can say afew words but that was when he want to. his 1st word was mum mum at ard 12mth old, n after many months then got new word. I "used to" hear him say ball ball, bird bird, mum mum, gege (circle), purple (painting), ka ka (car), jia (home), hmm mo (what), but since then i seldom hear him say any of these words except mum mum n purple nwsaday ( many months already). For 1mth he keep repeating the word like jia, whenever we reach home, after 1 mth or so, he keep his mouth shut liao. N when u ask him to say, he ignore u n walk away. All his development is good, he took his 1step step when he is 10mth old, n his development skill are almost 1mth faster. He can understand instruction well since 9mth old, can fix 5-6pcs puzzle (meant for 3yr n abrove children) when he is 14-15mth old, He know almost all the picture n name from the ABC n animal charts which i paste on his room, i recently know he knw his colour well too, cos i thought i seldom teach him color, so i brought a chart for him, when we reach hme, i ask him, where is red, blue, green,n etc...., he can point almost all colour correct. I think he learn his skill thru educational vcd ba.

I find him a very clever boy, but just wandering y just cant he talk, he just start babbling around last few month. He is quite a shy guy, he ignore stranger n dun wana look at them when they talk to him. But if he ask him, force him to wave bye bye to them he will do so n look away. My friend say he got chracter. As for his eye contact, bery few times, he look at us when we talk ( but when we wana gain his eye contact n say something he interested or like, eg u 1 sweet, i get for u)then his eye bery fast turn to us, sometime he ignore us when we talk to him. he enjoy playing with my sis's daughters, n can join in the music n movement with other children in his playgroup, but i neva see him play with his classmate 1 to 1 b4..

I am worry he is austim. Cos he seldom babble when young, eye contact not so good, speech delay. Anyone got such experience like mine? Son can talk different word at certain month then suddenly stop talking n have not say the word again since then.

My mum say my bro only start to talk when he is 3.5yrs old n that was when he about to enter kindergarden. I wonder is my son same as my bro? I hope he was a just late talker n nothing serious or wrong with him.

Any mummies out there got children still cant talk at 2???
 
i think that you shouldn't be overtly worried,different children have different ages at which they develop, this has no indication on their actual intelligence etcetc. Of course, if you are really worried or if your child is really that far behind the other kids in his class, then maybe it might be best to send him to see a pediatrician? I would do that - just for the peace of mind. But again, most of the time it really is nothing to worry about I think.
 
joanne, i don't think ur boy displays traits of autism, especially if he's able to interact with other children. children his age do not engage in 1-1 play yet.. prob nearer to 3 years old.

for verbal expression, try not to rely too much on vcds.. physical contact is still more important. when u speak to him, be slower and clearer, so that he can see and imitate the shape of your mouth movements. my son at 3 at imitate sounds he hears, but sometimes he slurs over words that he cannot express properly. it helps to sharpen his pronounciation when he sees the mouth shaping the word.
 
Hi ting ting,

These days my son start to babble more than usual, i am quite pleased oreadi. He can imitate sound out these days but not the true word, eg i say dog say woof woof..., he will make the sound like hmm4 hmm4, but not the word woo wooo or what. I say ohh ohh, he will say hmm(high tone) hmm(low tone), but did not open his mouth at all. I teach him to say moon, n he jus say mmmm... sound, didnt open his mouth too.

It true i seldom talk much to him when he is around 9mth old when babby start babbling timing, so now i try to talk more to him. Our family onli consist of mu hb, mi n my son, n hb working not at home, so there is no one to talk ti him except me.

I am scare becos whenever other ppl talk to him, he will look away or walk off or run away. He cant keep an eye contact well with other, except me. I duno whether he is shy timid or what. These days i keep asking myself n hb to look into his eye when we talk to him, he can make an eye contact with me n hb for a while when we talk to him, but not very long, jus 1 or 2sec only.

I heard that therapist alway conclude children with austism mostly becos of poor eye contact n speech delay. Maybe they will say mild only or what, i am just worry.

I have refer him to speech therapist oreadi, waiting for hearing test after that, is his speech therapy. I just wish to know is someone out there face this kind of problem like my son n manage to talk after some time?
 
I think for mummies who are worried, can go to the polyclinic to get referral for your child to see a speech therapist (to enjoy subsidised rate).
I thk kids can fall into a range of autism - mild to extreme. As long as they are corrected before the age of 6 years, there are many chances that he can speak normally.
 
My 23 month bb girl refused to speak but if you do not force her to talk she will out papa or mama or ball.

Doc mentioned some bb just refused to talk till age 3 plus and became talkative ... heeheehee
 
Joanne,

Not to worry ur son will speak more soon. my DD only speak more after she is 25-26mths
when they reach 30mths they will talk more when you introduce more words to them.
 
Hi catherine,

I hope sooooo too. When he is 12mth old, people say boy talk later ard 18mth, then 18mth my boy still no much improvement, so no choice i just have to wait again, till nw 25mth le, still same... Just got to wait patiently for him to ready to open his golden mouth n hoping that there is nothing wrong with him.... God bless my son pls...
 
joanne,

Just be patient and see ur son will speak more, my gal was able to speak when she was 1yrs old but only 25mths to 26mths then she start to talk and call mummy. only recently 30mths then she start to talk even more clearly and copy whatever i said.
 
hi joanne,

my boy was a late developer..when i sent him to playsch at 24mths, he was still bbtalking.. but he's able to follow instructions, but as a parent, i was very worried , esp when i have a 7yr old nephew who is austic..

not sure if your child is attending any playsch, but i am glad that i sent my boy to playsch, cos that is the place whereby he can interacts with other kids, n his social skills improved, and his speech improved within 3 mths..
my boy is now 5 yrs old, and he is able to speaks rather well now..

not sure why boys r generally late developers..but i do understand the agony that u r undergoing..take care!
 
hi joanne
my son was diagnosed as having asperger ie high functioning autism when he was about 3 years old. most people could not believe that he is autistic cos he was very verbal and asked questions. he too coud not sustain eye contact when talking to him.

did your son made any attempts to use finger to point if he want certain things? children with asperger or autism has problems with 'intentional communications' in terms of verbal and non verbal, ie body language. did he ask for help or try to get your attention if you are not looking or 'appear to be busy' with something else? due to his 'lack of empathy', he may not 'see' or understand what other people is feeling or going through..

my advice is that if you are very worried, best to get referral letter from polyclinic to go to CDU at KKH and NUH now cos there's a very very long waiting list..

hope above helps..
 
Hi tim,

doc say ur son is autism just becos of his poor eyee contact with others? Or other signs included? My son can point, eg when he want milk he will pull me to the kitchen n point to the milk powder, eg n to point to correst pic or letter or color when asked, but all these happen only when he is in good mood, or else he ignore u.

My son cant keep eye contact with other too, n that make me bery worry, i duno whether he is shy or what, he can only keep a "short" while eye contact with me n daddy sometime when we talk something interest him, if not sometime he oso dun keep eye contact with us, but will nod head n ans yes.
 
Dear mummies,

Just would like to share, many people and even doctors will misled autism and SID (Sensory Integration Dysfunction). The sym in SID is similar as autism. My son is very slow in speech and most of the time cant keep eye contact too. I am also very worry about him and always feel very sad. Luckily, I got a very good PD who recommended me Ms Danakae to me and from her, I can learn more between SID & Autisim.

Maybe you may read a example case here at: http://www.autisticlike.com/

happy.gif
 
thats depends upon bb .. some can talk within few year and some take more.. u just trying to teach him
few words..like mummy..this way ur son can talk ..
or u can consult with doctor...
 
At first mine can walk only hop, I brought him tosee a doc and the doc says if he wants to walk he will wlak, one day he just stands up and walk - its a miracle.

Now he canr really speak properly so I brought mine to see a doc and again he says is normal, when they feel like talking they will talk so I will wait for the miracle to come again.

Dun worry too much.
 
Start with the polyclinic to get a referral for speech specialist in KK. I did mine that way too. BE warned of the waiting time.
 
Hi mschan,
You mean your girl is 2 years old now and speaking minimally as in can speak in sentences? Mine is also 2 years plus... can only say single words, understand instructions given by us but simply wouldn't talk ie. at least say want milk, eat etc... is yours the same case.

She just started N1 this week. I realise those kids that went through child care or playground, generally can speak in 2 or 3 words. I am not sure is it because of mingling they had previously that allow them to develop the speach acquisition earlier, what's all the mummies opinion?

Also, for those mummies who just sent their darlings to playgroup or nursery this year, does your child have difficulty settling in? As in, do they cry and cry?

Mine is quite bad. Hope to hear some advice on how to handle them when they simply refuse to allow me to step out of the classroom... I m very fan!
 
Hi Carol,

My girl before she started childcare she was not able to speak as well. Still wearing diapers, eating pacifier, does not wear her own shoes or take off herself, every single things is relying on me or my mum.

But after she joined childcare, she had change, she can speak better as in sentences, able to ans my questions. Off diaper able to go potty, quit her pacifier. stop sitting stroller and walk all the way. do not need to carry.

your girl just need sometime to adapt to the school no to worry about crying you just got to firm.. after you left your gilr will be fine, as the teachers will shower them with lots of activities to let them forget about the seperation. when she get use to it she will eventually stop crying and accept the changes.

even if you don't let her go to school now when she is older she will encounter the same problem. so there is no differents. the best thing is they will learn alot of things which we are not able to teach. esp independent, socialise, and telling us what she want instead of crying.

my girl was a very shy person when ever she see strangers or relatives she will start to cry. but now she can talk and smile to everyone. Is a good start... don't bother about the crying the more you feel sad when she cry, the more she cries. you must assure her that she will have fun in school and mummy will fetch her home when her school ends.

Encourage her that she had done a good job by not crying, give her a hug and kiss when you fetch her from school.
 
By the way regarding about speech, Before my girl started school she only say single words, refuse to call mummy or daddy. But now she is able to say, I want mummy, i want daddy, i love daddy i love mummy, I want to go to bed and sleep, who and who hit her , i finish my lunch. i want to use fork and eat myself.

When i ask her why? and she will ans Becos....and so on.... all this are when she start to adapt in school.. she was not able to speak chinese and refuse to read chinese books. but now she enjoyed speaking chinese and reading as well.
 
Hi Catherine,

Thanks for your response. I am just wondering how old is your girl when she is at childcare? Maybe being my first kid, I fret when I see how see behave in class without me by her side. I understand she has to go through it but its really heart breaking to see her cry continuously.

By the way she goes to childcare or nursery?
 
She was age of 2 yrs 8 mths when she started childcare playgroup 2 last yr May. eventually ur girl will stop crying.. teachers will try to entertain them.

now she is promoted to nursery class
 
Catherine!

haha was looking thru this thread coz Jon still haven't speak yet.. Haiz... NOT EVEN A WORD @ 2 yrs. stress. Dunno how leh....

After going to CH i realise he got a bit of improvement, like waving bye bye to the teachers and started pointing things... but still haven't call me mama lor..
sad.gif
 
hi mummies,

My son last year Dec just turn 3yrs he too cant speak a sentence n even drooling his saliva.

He was borne with tongue tie at the time the doctor told me to hav a tongue tie surgery when he turn 6mths if not he wld have problem in speeching n pronounce problem. At first i refuse as he so jus so thiny little one i cant bear to let him been thru this they told me must done as early as possible if we wan to.
When he turned 6mths we went back to kkh that doctor checked on him was a new trainee he ask me to wait til he is 2.5 year to do e tongue surgery i was so anxious i asked to b done at 1yrs old he rejected us. During this time he was unable to use his tongue to bubbling speak coz of his tongue tie n drooling is normal so i tot mayb after e tongue surgery he b able to speech.
When he turn 2.5yr he got his tongue tie cut. n was stil unable to speech like his older sister i tot he was be able to pick up alittle since e operation is done but nv til one day he admit hospital due to stomache flu n e doctor on duty have a check on him n said for his age he able to speak mre two word instead of no yes. he also do a smal test on him n he notice my son nv move his tongue only his mouth shape what ever he talk alway nv use his tongue to pronounce . . he seriously refer us to speech therapy at kkh but it doesnt help at all.
I totally regret to heal tt trainee doctor advise i shld have it done when he 6mth old as toddler start learning n speech when they ard 9mths or 1yr With their tongue out bubbling. His sister was a chatterbox she did helped me to teach her bro bt he stil refuse to use his tongue to pronounce or talk.

Now i am so sad tat he doesnt wan to speak sentence he used to point thing to me n cry for thing he wan n til now he still drooling his saliva. Any mummy share e same experience as me?

I totally regret not insisting to change a doctor.

I used alots of way in teaching but it doesnt help.
sending him to childcare full days as his sister but stil waiting for availablity.
I also scare tt when he enter e ccc he was unable to catch coz nw children in there speak well. N my son now still bubbling w saliva drooling out.
 
Hi Mickey hi Joann, my girl also turning 3 and she's only recently starting to be interested to counting and say her ABCs after I've put her into Sunday school. Not very clear though, and she doesn't call me much only at certain times. I've heard ppl in this forum say it's the character thing, wait till after 3, start nursery, so I gave my therapy appointment a miss. Then my PD say go have it checked for autism but I still think she can wait till after prenursery and see how. I don't want to waste unnecessary $$$ if it was just a waste of time as 1 mommy had put it. I'm also trying not to worry and be patient and have faith. Don't be too discouraged even if she doesn't call you. At least he nods his head mine doesn't want to!
 
I have a 26months old todd whom doesn't really want to speak much. I was planning to sent him for some enrichment classes on saturday. He is currently taken care of by his nanny on weekdays. Does anyone have any ideas if there is any childcare centres that takes in toddlers on saturday only.
 
I think if u mummies are worried, can always bring your child to a kid's speech therapist.. My child also only started to speak when she was about 3 also.. So I guess it is ok at that age...
 
Looks like I am not alone. My gal also not talking.. just know how to call papa, mama, yeye(grandfather)..etc not more than 2 words. Yet my sis's gal start to talk when she was ard 18mths.
Btw, my gal is 19mths.
 
Anyone heard of sunny bunny Montessori? Plan to send my son there when he is 3 next year. Welcome any comment and advise. Thks
 
My son is coming to 3 years in Jan next year but still speaks very few words: Pa pa, Ma Ma, Kor Kor.He has been going to preschool for 3 hours everyday since he was 18 months old.

However he understands all our instructions and knows the names of each of the different trains in Thomas the tank engine. He loves them and has about 20 different trains.

He recognises most of his alphabets and numbers from 1 to 10. He can make the sounds of some alphabets like A, B, E, M, O, T, R.

His development seems normal but he just isn't trying to talk much.

He would point or use actions to communicate what he wants.

I am bringing him to the child development unit in KKH and will see what the doc says.
 
Me oso bringing to KKH after nursery teacher tells me to because she's climbing up on tables and not allowing anyone to hold her hand. Sigh. Anyone who shares the same frustrations please continue this thread. Very lonely journey..
 
lextine777,

My gal also dun like us to hold her hand. Btw, my gal still on waiting list to enter the childcare. She just turn 2 years old few days ago.
Has your gal start to talk?
 
Yeah my gal doesn't like it too but has improved as I let her hold mine so she doesn't feel threatened that she's being "tied" and can let go anytime she wants. Her record today is "shake the ball", "cow" and "I want". Only echos after tv. Am pulling her out of nursery as she is diagnosed with slight ASD, hence opening topic under Support Group for mummies who have special needs children. Do observe carefully cuz the earlier you spot if your gal is same condition as mine, the earlier she can start special school.
 

I'm getting my girl to use PECS picture exchange communication and she is barely making sentences day by day it's not easy having a ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) child. Catherine, if she hasn't starting taking you may want to send her to polyclinic for referral of speech delay. I read somewhere here a mum saying send to speech therapy waste $$ end up also tell us to talk more to her & my mum say some children start late dun worry so I cancelled appointment then only PCF teacher told me she's not paying attention in class and climbing tables advise me to send her to check then found out. What to do? I dun talk to neighbours here dun have kids to compare. The sooner you find out the better as special schools have long waiting list and is wasting crucial intervention time.
 
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