What is normal language development for a three year old?

I’m worried about my son, he just turned 3 and will sometimes use 3 or 4 word sentences but a lot of times if you ask him a question he will just repeat the last two words of the question. I constantly make him ask for things like “can I have a cookie please?” because all he wants to do is say the word cookie. I’ve just seen many three year olds holding complete conversations and it really has me worried. He has improved since putting him in preschool 3-days a wk. Is this a common problem is there a name for it and what can I do?

I sense your gut telling you there is a problem and your “mother instincts” need to be followed. It is more common than you would think for young children to have speech and language delays at this age. For example, in my own little boy’s preschool there are 36 students and 6 of them receive speech pathology services. That is 1 in 6 receiving extra support. You need to discuss your worries with his preschool teachers and with his pediatrician to rule out any problems or needed therapy. The fact that he is echoing you after the age of three might very well be a sign of a delay. Most children echo at the 2 year old mark.

If he does have a language delay, you will want to begin therapy with a speech pathologist now. Public schools in most states are required to complete the necessary screenings and provide the therapy free of charge (actually, your tax money is paying for this).

The link below is a great guideline for what should be happening with your child right now in language development. Do not feel guilty if he isn’t where he should be. If therapy is necessary, it will not be necessary for his entire lifetime. The earlier you start, the earlier he becomes a fluent speaker.

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/language_development.shtml

Language has to do with meanings, rather than sounds.  Language is a measure of intelligence, but not the only measure of intelligence. Just because a child starts putting sentences together in conversation at 2 years of age doesn’t mean he is gifted and genius. He simply excels in the area of language development.

Language delay is when a child’s language is developing in the right sequence, but at a slower rate.  Language delays are more serious than speech (articulation) problems.  Speech and language disorder describes abnormal language development.  Delayed speech or language development is the most common developmental problem.  It affects five to ten percent of preschool kids.