03_yr_FAQ.html

HOW DO I GET MY TODDLER TO SHARE?
Sharing is not a trait that the toddler usually understands, rather it is a learned response that occurs when the child gets older and more mature. Don’t force your child to share at this age but periodically show the toddler how to share and reinforce good behavior with praise. When your child has other children over to play, put away any special or important toys that your child may feel possessive of and encourage him to share other toys with friends.

HOW CAN I ASSIST IN MY CHILD’S INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT?
Read to your child and respond to his interest in learning the letters and words on the page. Talk to your child as an adult throughout the performance of daily activities, explaining what your are doing and why. Allow your child to color, paint, cut, and paste even though it may be messy. Teach your child to do household tasks such as setting the table, washing and drying dishes, sorting laundry, carrying out the garbage, and dusting - if you can make a game out of these activities, the child may even enjoy doing them! Listen to music with your child, take him to museums, libraries, and zoos. Allow him to use the family computer to play games (with supervision, of course).

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY 3 YEAR OLD HAS A SPEECH PROBLEM?
Children develop language skills at different rates, just as they grow and develop physically at different rates. A child who lags behinds his peers during the preschool years will usually catch up with them once they start school. Repeating whole words a few times is normal between the ages of 3 and 4 years. This speech pattern does not bother the child and will usually stop within 6 months. True stuttering, which also first appears at this age, is characterized by repetitions of parts of words, and causes obvious distress to the child. Talk to your doctor if you notice any of the following or if you have any concerns at all about your child’s speech development

• Your 3 year old says few sounds correctly.
• Strangers seldom seem to understand your 3 year old’s speech.
• Your 3 year old leaves out the initial consonant sounds from many words.
• Your child’s stuttering lasts longer than 6 months.
• While stuttering, your child grimaces, breathes faster, or shows other signs of distress.
• While stuttering, your child loses eye contact with the person to whom he is speaking.
• Your child refuses to talk to others because of his stuttering.
• Your child stutters and a parent or sibling also stutters.

WHEN DOES MY CHILD RETURN FOR HIS NEXT HEALTH SUPERVISION VISIT?
At four years of age your child should return for his next health supervision visit.