Is it normal for a 3 year old not to really talk?

Madiha - posted on 01/26/2013

Ashley...same problem with my son...his listening quality iss very good but same like ur son he just ignored what we are sayinh to him...when we talk to him he just strated looking around...

Stephanie - posted on 09/13/2012

I have the same problem. My son is 3 years old and still does not talk. He says only a few words. I do all I can. But I am at a loss. Now, everyone - his dad, the other family members, our friends, his daycare teachers -- are all putting a strain on us. They say we are still not doing enough. But what more can we do?

Erin - posted on 09/05/2010

Is he your first child? From what I've seen, first children aren't always as talkative as second or third children, simply because they have no one to catch up to!
My first born (my daughter) wasn't much of a talker, but I read to her (like you) and took her for walks where I pointed out what things were and used descriptive words for them. Once she started talking, she didn't stop, and she's a perfectly "normal" kid.
I'd go with what some other moms are saying and get him tested just to be safer than sorry, but if it turns out he's completely fine, just keep talking and reading to him and it'll come!

Alyssa - posted on 09/03/2010

Did you get him tested for Autism? Maybe it's just his personality though. My son can talk for days non stop. He'll talk to a stranger (cause he meets so many new people so often, he's used to it). lol My son is an extreme social being. Only if your sons talking is poorly developed (like he says words tooo wrong that you think he should definititely know by now) should you worry. I'm sure he's fine. Every child learns at a different rate. Good luck!

Alison - posted on 08/13/2010

My son turned 3 last month and we have found out that he has learning difficulties which is the contribution of his speaking delay. I would speak to your health visitor, family doctor or child's ped if you have about your concerns. They might refer him to a speech therapist for assessment

Ashley - posted on 07/21/2010

GET HIM TESTED!
I am not saying that because my kids all talk and it's not normal, it can be lots of things. Lots of people said boys normally don't talk as well as girls, and he's just a late talker. I am saying this because my 3 year old has a speech delay, he talks like a child who has just turned 2. He hears fantastic but only uses one or two word phrases. I went to my doctor and he set me up with a school who specialized in problems from down syndrome, speech delays and other serious developmental issues, it's called KidsAbility.

When he got tested, they told me his brain is faster than the mouth so everything he says comes out like gibberish except for the one or two words, so they have put him in classes to try to even out his talk process.

Over the last couple months they have made real progress with early sounds groups he's been in and I like it because they give lots of accurate advice on how to encourage more words because they see alot of kids, not just their own.

In september they recommended he go to a specific preschool (free of charge, made from donations in the community) that will help him verbalize more, and start to get used to how school works for next september when he starts kindergarten.
He is a very stubborn child and they said that this will help calm him a bit as well so he will be able to listen to instructions better too and prepare him for actual school.

I hope all the best, I know it is very frustrating to see other children talking alot more that are much younger than your child. I also know it's hard to ask for outside help, but it is necessary and it isn't a showing or you lacking parenting skills either.

Jennifer - posted on 06/22/2010

My son who will be 3 July 9 has a speech problem it started out with hearing issues and had to get PE ear tubes. Then after that at age 2 1/2 i still relized he was not saying a whole lot. He now goes to speech therapy weeky to help him say the whole word. It still is very hard for me and my family because my older soon at the age was speaking very good at age two. And i keep telling my self no two kids are alike. And there personalities are very diffrent too! Its nice to know not every kid about to be 3 can talk perfect! Good luck moms! and i'm sure before we know we will be telling them to be quite!

Sheridan - posted on 06/11/2010

my daughter will be 3 July 9th. She has been seen one on one by the school district once a month now for nearly a year. She used to see a speech therapist once weekly but then my insurance stopped covering it :(
She went from barely using 10 words to approximately using 65. About 40 of those other ppl understand, the rest my husband and I can make out from being around her.
She has an older sibling, but he is 12 and mostly in his own world with his own friends. She is also my MIL's first grandchild and husband's first child and didn not attend daycare until this April.
She was looked after by my MIL which I believe to be partly cause for the delay, as there was no stimulation there and everything was taken care of for her and she was far too spoiled and so never had a need to speak, she pointed and people jumped!
I would say, take him to a playgroup and have stimulation, keep up the small talk and reading and check into help in your district!

Leighna - posted on 06/04/2010

my oldest was talking full sentances by 3,where as my 3 year old i get a few single words from her,i'm not sure if its because of her older sis or just hereaditary (her dad didnt talk till he was 4)but the doc said as long as she is hearing alright(yes) and can understand (perfectly) that when shes ready it will come.

Jenni - posted on 05/29/2010

My son is an only kid, very independent, and does not talk a lot either (he will also be 3 in July). At two years old he only said around 4 or 5 words so we enrolled him in daycare once or twice a week and it worked wonders. Compared to other kids his age he does not talk a lot, but he has improved a lot. I was never too worried because whatever he wanted he would just figure out how to get it ( before he could walk he was using kitchen drawers to climb on the counter). I agree with the ladies though and talk to a doctor and get him tested just in case. I am having my son tested this summer just because he seems to be struggling more than his peers.

Charity - posted on 05/26/2010

My son will be three the last day of July and has been in a Children's Day Out program (where I teach) since he was a year old. He knows his ABC song, numbers 1-15 and some colors and shapes. He also has full conversations with people. However, I had a student that is only 3 months younger than my son, that only just started to talk simple single words, if you would say them first. I see this more with kids that have an older sibling,which this little boy has an older sister. Some tend to depend more on their older siblings for things and as a way of communication. It isn't that they don't know how or can't do it, it's just that they don't have to. Their needs are met without their need to communicate it. I would not be concerned if there is an older sibling involved. I would however try to encourage older siblings to have the younger repeat a word, phrase, or simple song just to try to encourage them to talk more. Don't be discouraged by what they can't say, Be encouraged by what they can!

Lisa - posted on 05/26/2010

It really depends on the child but getting him tested first is really important.

My 3 year old doesn't stop talking and is speaking in full sentences but I am very very verbal and my husband is a writer (I'm an English teacher).

However, a very good friend of mine who has an MA in Biology and is a District Principal in the school district I teach in didn't talk until he was 3.5 years old and suddenly started speaking in full sentences. Not more than a word or two before that.

If testing doesn't show a problem, then relax and know he'll talk when he's ready. ^^

Katie - posted on 05/10/2010

My two year old wasnt talking until my mother bought him Your Baby Can Read program and that made a world of difference. Now I cant get him to be quite. He is in a class with two and three year olds and he talks the most out of all of them and you can understand what he is saying really well. He is very advanced. He cant read yet, but he knows all of his body parts, and all of his primary colors and he can count to 15. He will be three in July. Sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good. LOL! Hope that helps a little bit.

Rachael - posted on 04/17/2010

My son is 3 this july n hes not talking yet,he can say mamma,dadda,nan nan thats about it really we say other words to him to see if he can say it himself but he just walks off to play with his toys,Hes under a pediatrician we see them every 6 months,im abit worried myself coz his cousins are talking and there 2 n 3 xx

Maureen - posted on 04/15/2010

Definitely get him tested. Depending on your state either the school district or the county education office should do this for free. I have had all 5 of my children tested by their third birthday as speech issues run in the family.
But, don't worry too much. Boys talk later than girls, and they all start at their own time. My oldest was very quiet as a toddler and hasn't stopped for a breath between words since he started talking! Good luck!

Amy - posted on 04/14/2010

Get him tested NOW! Could be nothing, but Better to be safe than sorry. He should be using 3 - 4 words phrases. Look into Early Intervention programs in your area. A therapist will come to your home and test him and determine if there is a concern. If there is a problem, they can determine the appropriate program for him. This program ends at age 3, so the next program to look into would be Early Childhood/public preschool. In my area that is called Head Start. Good Luck to you and your family.

Michelle - posted on 04/14/2010

Hi Ashley

My name is Michelle and you are not the only one where your 3 year old is, because when my son just turned two back in July last year i thought why isn't he talking.
This year I went down to his maternal health sister regarding this matter, as he also was just saying one word at a time, then just recently or maybe over 3 - 4 weeks ago he started making 3 - 4 words put into little words. Its really cute, so don't panic I am with you on this one :)
Keep smiling and keep at what you have been doing.

Adrianna - posted on 04/08/2010

I know alot of my friends that have kids my sons age their kids hardly say a word but my son u cant get him to stop talking. think it just depends on the child. not really a boy or girl thing some just talk before others

Kristin - posted on 04/07/2010

He may have nothing to say just yet. But, if you are concerned, go to his doctor. Sometimes, we adults talk at our kids rather than to them. When you are conversing with him, do you wait for him to respond? Ask him lots of questions and then wait for him to answer?

It's tough, you never really know if they need help or not. But, definitely better to err on the side of caution.

Melanie - posted on 04/07/2010

My son was like that, and it turned out that he had a speech delay. He would hear the words and say them correctly in his head, but couldn't get it to come out right so he just didn't try. While your problem may just be that he just doesn't want to, it couldn't hurt to have him tested through Early Intervention. He can receive services through them and the Intermediate Unit in school if he qualifies. Once my now four year old started with EI, he picked up things very quickly and was where the other kids his age were within a year.

Tamika - posted on 04/03/2010

Hi Ashley!



My son will also be 3 in July and doesn't talk nearly as much as his older sister did at his age. Boys tend to use considerably less words than girls. When my daughter was nearly 3, I knew everything that went on at school, but Jack never tells me anything about school or his classmates. Our pediatrician has children around the same ages as my kids and says this is normal. For your peace of mind, continue talking to other moms and your pediatrician. Sometimes it's a gender thing, sometimes it's a younger sibling thing, and other times it's personality. I was concerned too, but my son appears to be fine. Whatever you do, trust your gut. Good luck!