My 3-year-old son speaks only few words. Is this due to stubborn nature against his younger brother?

Question

Hello doctor,

My oldest son is 3 years old. He understands everything you say to him, but he refuses to talk. He used to say a variety of words and now he only does animal noises and a handful of words. I would like to know what I could do in order to encourage his vocabulary or if I should be worried about it in the first place. I am also wondering if his decreased vocabulary and stubborn behavior are linked to the arrival of his baby brother a year ago. I am currently trying the apps Speech blubs and ABC mouse. He also likes puzzles and games, but he will not sit for the songs or story telling. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It seems like a regression of speech is there with normal receptive skills and affected expressive skills. Rather than finding the cause now focus on how to improve the condition. Apps are good but not in the initial stage. Start with some interesting real-life activities to extract some simple utterances first. Do not give anything without his utterances, even if minimal it should be there.

Pa ..paa..paa in a musical manner like other phonemes also start extracting. He will surely enjoy. From this go to combining like paa paaa paaa/ taaa taa taaa /tooo toooo tooo. Then potato, then tell see we will cut potato. Cut the real potato and show him. Get a video consultation with me if you want to get the demonstration for a better understanding. Implement these techniques and give feedback on this.

Thanks.