Signs of a Motor or Language Delay in your 3-5 year old
Signs of a motor or language delay. Brought on by my update of the girls, one is being evaluated for autism and delays.
So I have been working full time for about 2 months now. I am exhausted and feel like there is very little time to do anything other than the things that need to get done around the house. In the past week though I have had some days off so I am caught up on stuff around the house and am able to put up a post.
So what’s new?
Aria has gotten testing for eosinophilic esophagitis because if she just had GERD she should be getting better by now. She got an upper endoscopy last week and it came up negative for it. So we are going to have another appointment tomorrow to see what else we need to do now, or basically where to go from here.
Cadence is going to be evaluated for high functioning autism. Remember when I wrote a post about making a calm down spot for her? If not, you can read that here. So in that post, I talked about the resurgence of tantrums and how they are a normal part of development. Apparently, her meltdowns are abnormal though because of the duration and frequency of them. She also has delays in language and motor skills which we didn’t know about until she had kindergarten testing in February.
How I’m coping.
So I am all kinds of frantic anxious and stressed. The only thing I can do though is learning to live in this new “normal” and be grateful that I am in a place where I can be available for my children and not be wrapped up in my own chaos.
In light of this new news, I am now seeing all these little things that I didn’t realize were things that I should’ve noticed. Because I don’t feel like a blog post just about an update is a legitimate post I will do a list of signs for motor and language delays in the 3-5 years old range. Just because that is the age range that C is in, however, some of the infographics I have found have younger ages on them.
Motor Delay
This really confused me, when I thought about motor skills I thought about GROSS motor skills which are a delay in walking or running etc. Which I knew C was right on the line for those things, but she did achieve them when she was “supposed to.” What I didn’t know about was that there are fine motor skills, this is the kind of thing like picking up food with a pincer grasp, holding your fork right, holding your crayon right, being able to button or zipper clothing, and able to dress.
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| http://www.schoolsparks.com/early-childhood-development/fine-motor |
All of those aforementioned things she cannot do, still at the age of 5 she is unable to dress or put her own shoes on without assistance. She also doesn’t run very well, she does but it is awkward. She also cannot skip.
Language Delay
So what’s a language delay? Everyone says children talk at there own pace, and there isn’t a “right age” for a child to talk. You are right, there isn’t but there should be some language. Looking back I realize that my child didn’t speak really at ALL as a toddler. We really just assumed what she wanted, and if that wasn’t correct we would go to the next thing, just like you would a baby. Her daycare approached me about getting her evaluated for her delays at the time. I kind of ignored them thinking it was something that I had done wrong, maybe it was because I was a working mom? Or maybe it’s because I am in recovery?
So I just told them there was nothing wrong. I also brought it to her pediatrician’s attention. She stated that she had a teether which she used as a binky and that was her problem. She didn’t have an issue with language. I now know though, that in children who use a binky they do have issues with langue but it is in the way that they speak. They speak incorrectly due to their mouth being unable to make the appropriate movements. They, however, do SPEAK, which she didn’t at all until she was about 3.
Her language delay may be the reason for her problems with her behavior. It is incredibly frustrating to have the people around you not understand what you want, or need. Or you are unable to find the words to say how you are feeling, thinking, or wanting. It would make anyone frustrated and have tantrums. This is the very reason why they have the “terrible two’s” because the child want’s the independence. Being able to make decisions themselves and want to assert there needs and individuality. At the same time, they don’t have the skills or language to do that.
What does this all mean?
So this is all the things that mean she has a language and motor delay. We are still waiting to hear if she actually has an autism diagnosis. Mainly because it is a 9-12 month wait for her to get evaluated. Unfortunately, until then, we just are going to have to work on these deficits. Hopefully, she is able to get the services she needs without the diagnosis. The reality is usually that a diagnosis means services.
If you would like MORE information about developmental milestones and delays head on over to https://www.webmd.com/
I posted a video about this subject on my YouTube account…
Kirsta
Hi! I am a wife, mommy of 2 girls, a blogger, and a nurse. My daughter has special needs and I have a passion for mental health. So, the drama is a daily occurrence for this mama. Come along for the ride!
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