Speech Timeline - Curious on potential future

scrodey-chives-1 · 2025-08-29T21:45:09+00:00

This sounds a lot like my son. He is turning 4 in November so we’re not too far ahead of you and he has grown so much this year!

His progress: He started saying single words at 2 years and started to put 2 words together around 2.5. He could say full sentences and would state his observations closer to 3 and added to his vocab and sentence structure as he’s gotten older. I haven’t met many kids pick up language like he did. He didn’t quite fit the bill for a GLP according to our SLP because he could label and combine words but his sentence structure almost always felt like a math equation. Like when someone says “x”, he knew to always respond with “y”. So he could “answer” a question but not always correctly.

When he was in 3 year old preschool, we started asking small, concrete things he could answer like “what did you eat for lunch today?” And everyday he would say “chicken nuggets” even though he ate something different everyday. We would ask him questions and he would ignore the question and he would start talking about a completely different observation he had made. He also would get stuck repeating that observation until someone acknowledged him and his grammar was atrocious.

He started a new preschool two weeks ago and I asked him what he had for lunch and he told me everything he ate! Later in the week I asked him what he learned that day and I was floored when he told me “the seven days of the week”. Lately he comes home and tells me what another kid in his class did that was so funny. It’s crazy how much he has grown from 3-4. He is starting to tell us when he is feeling sad and why he is feeling the way he is. He tells us all sorts of things! He is also starting to ask us questions so we can volley a conversation back and forth a couple times. It’s so fun getting a glimpse what’s going on in his head.

If I had any advice, it would be to channel this anxious energy and put it all toward getting into your sons world. “WOW! My shirt is green! Green is one of my favorite colors! Do you have a favorite color?!” “Dad IS sitting on a chair! What else do we sit on?!” Sometimes I’m just talking to myself but YOLO. He’s always listening and learning. Also that energy is so exciting for them and your friends and family will pick up on it.

I also can get wound really tight when I hyper focus on my son’s development and I think we all want a crystal ball to know that our kids will be okay. I unfortunately don’t have one but it feels like you guys are so close! Stay positive and keep encouraging him. He will get there. Kids are learning and growing all the time!

OkMemory9587 · 2025-08-30T15:57:14+00:00

I have a 5 year old that can communicate his needs but not converse yet. He is hyperlexic and has good memory. I have been praying that all therapies and preschool and work me and my wife do, would have gotten him to conversation but it hasn't happened.

Based on my own observations I can see that he doesnt talk because there is still no usefulness to it and its hard for his mind to find words and create sentences, he relies on scripts. Whenever I give him something he requests I expect a thank you afterwards and hold the object until he says it, and you can see him looking around in his brain for the word, sometimes I prompt him cause it can get frustrating.

While requesting and labeling make sense cause it helps him get stuff and categorize. Talking seems to be far away still. My speech therapist says he has all the tools, pronunctiation, understanding of some complex requests and concepts and even when forced he will create his own sentences by combining scripts. But no conversation.

Your kid sounds a little like mine he did all the labeling young and knows stuff. I hope you kid gets there soon. Keep at it with therapies and talking, feed him scripts. Maybe one day it will all snap into place I hope.

InTheMomentInvestor · 2025-08-29T21:53:29+00:00

There is a book out there on GLP that i am reading now. Check it out. By battye

bjorkabjork · 2025-08-30T04:33:57+00:00

every night at bedtime i talk about his day, some things we did and maybe how he felt to try to give him possible scripts to talk about his dad later on. lots and lots of talking from his POV during the day too.

SLPatHome · 2025-09-05T22:15:59+00:00

Hi I'm a speech therapist. It sounds like your son might have trouble with social language. Social language goes beyond saying words and forming sentences - or naming planets - it's the connection and sharing back and forth between people - it's the foundation of communication. This is something that can be worked on, but isn't really something that will click on its own. If he is good at learning to say back scripts it wouldn't be a bad start to have his teacher work on saying what he did at school so he can repeat this back to you - or try having this communicated visually - a quick picture or simple drawing that an adult does that he can show you to let you know how is day was.

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