Chyates
asks:
Q:
'Lazy Tongue Syndrome'
Our concern about our 4 year old nephew has ripped our family appart.
He talks alot but we can not understand anything he is saying. His words sound like ' caveman' language. When we asked his father if he could understand what his son was trying to say, he said no. As we asked his father for some information about our nephew's speech challenge, he stated that he would grow out of it and became very defensive. We just wanted to know what the problem is and what he is doing about it. The father called his mother the next day and claimed that we called him a bad father and now the family is on non speaking terms. This is all about our nephew.
Concerned about our nephew
In Topics:
Speech and language issues
He talks alot but we can not understand anything he is saying. His words sound like ' caveman' language. When we asked his father if he could understand what his son was trying to say, he said no. As we asked his father for some information about our nephew's speech challenge, he stated that he would grow out of it and became very defensive. We just wanted to know what the problem is and what he is doing about it. The father called his mother the next day and claimed that we called him a bad father and now the family is on non speaking terms. This is all about our nephew.
Concerned about our nephew
> 60 days ago
Answers (1)
Your nephew is very lucky to have such caring and concerned relatives. I imagine it must be very frustrating for you to spend quality time with your nephew as he chats away with no idea what he is trying to communicate. This is a challenging experience, and I think that it was appropriate for you to raise your concerns with his father.
As you may know, by the end of their fourth year, most children make significant gains in speech and language. They can typically understand most sentences, use 4-5 word sentences, and most strangers can understand their speech. However, you have probably heard, that there is a great deal of variation in the development of children. While it is true that, for most children, strangers (and relatives) can understand their language at age 4, there are some children who may take a little longer. However, if your nephew is still not easily understood at age 5, his father should consider taking him to his pediatrician to discuss his concerns.
That said, I understand that this issue has created a rift in the family. If you feel comfortable, you may consider calling your brother (brother-in-law?) and let him know that you are saddened that this issue has created problems in the family. Let him know that you love him and your nephew, support his efforts, and believe that he is doing a fine job parenting (if you truly feel it). I imagine relationships will be slowly repaired once the dust settles.
For more information on typical language milestones, take a look at the following articles:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Language_End_3_4_5/
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Small_Talk_Language_Milestones/
Good luck!
L. Compian, Ph.D.
Education.com Expert Panel
As you may know, by the end of their fourth year, most children make significant gains in speech and language. They can typically understand most sentences, use 4-5 word sentences, and most strangers can understand their speech. However, you have probably heard, that there is a great deal of variation in the development of children. While it is true that, for most children, strangers (and relatives) can understand their language at age 4, there are some children who may take a little longer. However, if your nephew is still not easily understood at age 5, his father should consider taking him to his pediatrician to discuss his concerns.
That said, I understand that this issue has created a rift in the family. If you feel comfortable, you may consider calling your brother (brother-in-law?) and let him know that you are saddened that this issue has created problems in the family. Let him know that you love him and your nephew, support his efforts, and believe that he is doing a fine job parenting (if you truly feel it). I imagine relationships will be slowly repaired once the dust settles.
For more information on typical language milestones, take a look at the following articles:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Language_End_3_4_5/
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Small_Talk_Language_Milestones/
Good luck!
L. Compian, Ph.D.
Education.com Expert Panel
> 60 days ago
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