My 3year old refuses to speak

[expectingma4th]

Hey all...

Am wanting opinions on what to do!

My 3 yr old son (3 child) is refusing to talk he does say a few words and is trying to say new words as he pleases. On my husbands side of the family there are family members whom did not speak til later age then my son.

I really try to encourage him to speak and when he does he can see the excited reaction that I give when he does he decides he wants to stop.

My first 2 children does speak and the second did from a early age and I don't want to push him to hard I want him to feel that he has achieved something but part of me thinks he need outside help I'm caught at a crossroads and not sure what to do..

Any advice or similar story's are more then welcome

[specialmom]

Very true and a good success story to back it up!  thanks for sharing

[mariemissy]

Agree with previous post.  The school district you live in can evaluate him to determine if he qualifies for speech/language therapy.  One of my children was evaluated for not talking at age three, received services from out school district as a preschooler and then no longer needed language services by the time he was a kindergartner and then no longer needed speech services by the time he was in 2nd grade.  I consider him a success story now that he has successfully graduated from college and is gainfully employed.  Early speech and language therapy will help advert a lot of potential learning problems.

[skepticalpeach]

My daughter also had/has problems with speech. Turns out she has autism. Long before we got this diagnosis she was in speech therapy. Therapy helped a lot and I'm glad we started it as soon as we did. Try using PECS (picture exchange cards) to help him communicate. Even if he will grow out of this and it is not autism, he will probably develop some frustration from being unable to communicate well. The cards could be a great tool for him. You could also teach him some sign language. I wouldn't focus so much on talking, but on the importance of communication in general.

[specialmom]

Hi.  Some kids do indeed speak later.  and everything is fine.  Others have a few things going on.  My son had a speech evaluation at three years old.  we learned that he was fine in responsive language, expressive language but had some articulation issues.  This is due to motor planning as my son was diagnosed at 4 with sensory integration disorder.  

I would schedule a speech evaluation for him.  Your pediatrician would probably have recommended that as they look for kids who struggle with speech.  Early intervention can do tremendous things in  helping a child.  

I had my sons watch my mouth when I spoke to them.  I would encourage them to speak but if you push, you are right.  This can lead to frustration and an internal esteem issue for the child if he really has a neurological reason for difficulty with speak.  

good luck