FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Some children are reaching the age of 3 without being able to say a single word.
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The London Times reports on a survey that also shows boys are almost twice as likely as girls to have difficulties learning to speak. The average baby speaks their first word at around 10 or 11 months... but this poll done in the UK shows four-percent of parents report their child said nothing until 3 years old. At that age - toddlers should be able to use up to 300 words, including adjectives, and string them together.
The poll of more than 1,000 parents also shows almost one in six parents say their child had problems learning to talk... that figure rises to one in four when it comes to parents of boys.
On average - girls say their first word sooner... and string words together at a younger age.
Experts say late speech development can lead to problems - like low academic achievement or mental health issues. They say that it takes lots of help and encouragement in order for children to learn how to talk... parents need to talk to their kids, read stories, play word games, point out new objects, etc. Translation: Some parents need to focus on their kids and engage them more.
This is scary stuff here... if some kids aren't talking until they're 3, it can cause issues for the rest of their lives... when it's time to read, write, communicate, etc.
Here’s my question to you: How serious a problem is it if some children reach age 3 without saying a single word?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Lou writes:
Einstein was 4 or 5 before he spoke; they thought he was retarded. My daughter was a late speaker. She's 12 now and we can't turn the motor mouth off. I hate that the 'experts' are always worrying folks that their kids should meet certain guidelines and conformities or else something must be wrong with them.
Clay writes:
Kids need human interaction, not cyber-interaction. I'm surprised they talk at all, save for a few odd bleeps and bloops, uttered to emulate their silicon siblings.
Larrie writes:
I had older sisters that spoke for me until I was around 3 yrs old. The only "side effect" I had was a slight speech impediment that was corrected in grade school. I don't feel that it caused me any problems into my adult life. Children learn and develop at different stages, and if they are communicating in other forms, there should be no reason for concern.
Larry from Tuscaloosa, Alabama writes:
Jack, This statistic is not so strange when you consider the increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders, currently estimated to affect nearly 2% of children. Rather than looking for problems with the parents, we should be investigating possible causes of the Autism epidemic.
Dave from Columbia, Maryland writes:
Jack, There are many of us who did not talk until 3 and who have been successful. My Ph.D. is in mathematical statistics and I run a communications training company. There is even a book on the subject of people who have been very successful and were late talkers. Parents of people like me should remain be hopeful.
Kris from Ohio writes:
Jack, I am a special ed teacher. Believe me, it is a serious problem not saying a word until age 3. My class is too full already. Read and talk to your kids and they will respond long before they turn 3.
Dave from Altoona, Pennsylvania writes:
Jack, We spend the first 2 years of our kids' lives teaching them to walk and talk. Then we spend the next 18 years telling them to sit down and shut up. When they talk is not as important as what they say when they do.