My cousin, who is six years old, cannot speak properly. I suspect this has to do with the fact he was brought up in a very confusing ‘language environment’. For instance, his mother speaks mandarin, his father speaks cantonese, and his environment speaks french.
He cannot make proper sentences, or speak clearly. He has trouble pronouncing things correctly, but I do not know if he’s following his parents’ accents, or if he just can’t say it. I tell him a word, IE: Black, and he’ll say it completely different from what I’ve said.
Furthermore, I should add that everyone in our family grew up in ‘language environments’ like his. I grew up with four/five languages, but I managed to speak clearly by the time I was two years old.
He also has trouble learning things. In his group swimming lessons, he’s often left behind because he can’t learn what the other kids are learning. He often repeats things over and over again. He doesn’t remember stuff you tell him unless it is repeated over and over again. Despite that, I do feel that he gets along well with other kids, and is somewhat of a smart child.
The question is: Should we be worried? Is he exhibiting characteristics of learning disabilities?
For your information, we have taken him to a doctor, speech therapist and child phychologist.
They all pointed out that he has been exhibiting qualities of autistic children, not extreme, but enough to be mild autism.
In addition, the speech therapist has also added that children should be speaking with an understanding by the time they reach 3, 4 years old, and if by the time of 6 years old, he still cannot be put words together or speak with an understanding, than there is a problem.
I’m sure I wasn’t the golden child. If you don’t have your facts correct, than don’t bother. All children are different, I completely agree, but if everyone thought like you did, than nobody would get the help them needed, because EVERYONE is different.
Thanks to everyone else who helped. (: