Hi all,
I'm also concerned about my child as well. She is turning 3 in a couple of months' time and she is a late bloomer. She only started walking at 20 months and even now when she walks or runs, she is not that stable.
Right now, she is still unable to talk in proper sentences, her pronunciation is not good and those who are not close to her usually do not know what she is talking about. She can't recognize colors, alphabets and numbers. I have tried to learn through play with her but she is not keen.
She started nursery playgroup (2 hourly) in Jan this year and feedback from her teachers that she doesn't really express herself, very quiet and reserved. She also doesn't really talk in school nor play with others. At home, she is very chatty so I believe it is the environment.
Almost all the kids in her class already knows the routine upon reaching school such as keeping their water bottles and bags, removing shoes and keeping them, but my girl will just stand in a corner watching everyone. If the teacher notices her, the teacher will tell her what to do but when the teachers are busy with other kids, she will just stand there carrying her bag and stuff. Sometimes she is forgotten as the class commences and I saw her still standing there!
During the parent-teacher meeting, i raised my concerns to the teachers but they told me to monitor first and it is not necessary to send her for any assessment at the moment.
My child has been attending the right-brain training for 9 months now and I do not see much improvement as well. It makes me even more paranoid when I see her peers in the same class as her being able to respond well in class and understanding instructions.
Does anyone who have kids which are "slower" attending childcare?
I have an elder child who is attending a childcare which i think is pretty good. She is graduating this year. I am thinking if I should enroll my younger one while her sister is still there so at least there is company. But I am afraid this will cause more fear for my younger child as I change her environment again. Most importantly there are more activities in the childcare which I hope can instill more learning to my child.
Hi Kayliz,
This response may be a bit late but I'm still posting in case there are parents out there with similar issues. I can imagine the worry you must have when you see your daughter falling behind. From what I gathered, there may be a few issues regarding why your daughter is not able to follow instructions in the classroom.
Since I haven't seen your daughter, I can't say for sure. But it is likely that she might have some receptive language issues, which means that she is not understanding what is said to her. This will have to be tackled in 2 ways:
1) Getting her classroom teachers to use single words or very simple phrases with her. It will also be beneficial if they can include visual cues such as pointing to provide more clues.
2) See if her teachers can assign a buddy to her in the classroom. The buddy will be helpful for assisting her to follow instructions in class.
3) Helping her to understand more language. This will require speech therapy and you can also work on it at home with books and through playing with her
4) Do lots of modelling but simplify your own language when you talk to her. Speak at a level that is one-step above what she is currently capable of. For example, if she is speaking using single words, speak to her using 2-word phrases.
With regards to her being difficult to understand, children by the age of 3 should be about 75% intelligible. This means that most people (even people unfamiliar to her) will be able to understand most of what she says. So it does sound like she may have some speech issues as well.
As for expressive language, how long are her sentences? How many words does she have? What kinds of words (location, pronouns, actions etc) does she use? The answer to these questions will determine if there is a expressive language delay/disorder.
But it seems like regardless of your answer for the above questions, she will benefit from speech therapy targeting her receptive language. If there is a wait-list for services, you can try out the suggestions I have mentioned above so that you can get things going while you wait. Remember, delaying treatment will mean that your child is not getting help during this critical period of growth and development. Capitalise on brain plasticity while you can
Good luck and all the best!
Jia
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