Should I be worried? (might be long)

[christy005]

My sister is studying to be an OTA (occupational therapy assistant) and she is a little worried about my 3 year old. She thinks he may be behind in some areas. Do your 3 year olds:
-dress themselves? (my son either can't or won't...I try but some days when I'm stressed, I just take over)
-use scissors (child safe ones)?
-jump with both feet? My son can only jump with one foot at a time
-actually color and draw shapes,etc... besides some scribbles? that is all he seems to be able to do.

What are some things your 3 year old still struggles with?

Those are just a couple of things she says he may be behind on. I know every child is different, but she has me a little worried. He is very verbal and knows his colors and we are working on numbers/letters, but even I admit, he has always been slower on the physical skills. He is also VERY very timid and afraid of ANY change. He won't even sit on his potty, so we are still at the very beginning stages of potty learning.
I'm just wondering if it sounds like I should be worried. I am hoping he can get into head start next year so he can start getting ready for preschool.

Thanks for any help/advice.

[Fuamami]

My 3 yo can do some of his dressing, but rarely will. He can pull up his pants after going potty, for example, but yells for me to do it almost every time. And he just recently potty-trained. He can put on his own snow boots and one pair of his shoes, but he won't. He has, on occasion, put on his own socks, but mostly just takes them off.

He can definitely jump with both feet. Wait, do you mean from a standing position, or off of something? Well, I guess he can do both, actually. But he has two older siblings to keep up with, so he's always been a little more driven to develop those gross motor skills.

He can't really make a shape. He can make a scribbly circle, and he scribbles lines for arms and legs, but his shapes never turn out like anything very recognizable. He does LOVE to cut things up, and I've redirected him to paper so often that he can cut. He can't cut straight down a line or anything, but he can cut a small piece of paper in half. Or a shoelace, or a phone cord, or a shirt. I'm not really that stupid, it's just that his older siblings always leave the scissors lying out!

I have a friend who had a three year old much like yours sounds. She also had baby #2 in his 3rd year, and it seemed to increase his anxiety. He was terrified of walking across the catwalks at the playground, for example, and was afraid of smoke alarms. At the time, I thought that there might be some issues, but he is now 6.5 and is perfectly normal and actually ahead with everything. So I don't know if I would be worried. Different kids focus on different things at different times. My 3 yo is also very verbal and very imaginative, but it comes at the expense of listening and behavior in a big way. It's just not a current focus for him, apparently.

[christy005]

Thanks for replying. He cannot jump from a standing position. I believe he can jump off a small step. I was hoping going to daycare, he would learn from the other kids, but has not yet. (he's been in daycare since I went back to work in September)
I had his younger brother a few months after he turned two, so I wonder if that has something to do with it also.
Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Fuamami

He can definitely jump with both feet. Wait, do you mean from a standing position, or off of something? Well, I guess he can do both, actually. But he has two older siblings to keep up with, so he's always been a little more driven to develop those gross motor skills.

I have a friend who had a three year old much like yours sounds. She also had baby #2 in his 3rd year, and it seemed to increase his anxiety. He was terrified of walking across the catwalks at the playground, for example, and was afraid of smoke alarms. At the time, I thought that there might be some issues, but he is now 6.5 and is perfectly normal and actually ahead with everything. So I don't know if I would be worried. Different kids focus on different things at different times. My 3 yo is also very verbal and very imaginative, but it comes at the expense of listening and behavior in a big way. It's just not a current focus for him, apparently.

[sbgrace]

He can jump from a standing position on one foot though? Or what do you mean by one footed?

Not being able to jump off the ground at three would be a gross motor delay. My kiddo couldn't either but he's got low muscle tone to explain that. Neither of my kids could/would draw recognizable stuff at three nor could they cut beyond snips. Some was lack of interest on their part, some was that I just didn't have those materials constantly out for them and I didn't sit down and color with them often, and I do think we've got some mildish fine motor delays.
I know they could put shirts and coats on when they were trying at three. I don't remember them doing bottoms then but I can't remember for sure. I assumed they would be dressing themselves by kindergarten (they were).

Seems as if your sister could give suggestions perhaps?

[sapphire_chan]

Will he try to imitate your drawing? Like if you draw a l or a _ or a O will he try to do the same thing or is it just scribbles? Asking because imitating a simple shape like that is on the 18month ASQ so I'm guessing they expect a 3 year old to be able to do it.

If he is delayed in your sisters area, can she work with him?

[christy005]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

He can jump from a standing position on one foot though? Or what do you mean by one footed?

Not being able to jump off the ground at three would be a gross motor delay. Seems as if your sister could give suggestions perhaps?

I guess I mean to say he can hop on one foot, instead of jumping. sorry. lol. I hope that makes it easier to understand. do you think a motor delay would be why he isn't able to ride his tricycle either? he can't push the petals..he just pushes himself with his feet on the ground. we have tried to show him how to do it and he doesn't seem to be able to yet. Thanks for responding!

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Will he try to imitate your drawing? Like if you draw a l or a _ or a O will he try to do the same thing or is it just scribbles? Asking because imitating a simple shape like that is on the 18month ASQ so I'm guessing they expect a 3 year old to be able to do it.

If he is delayed in your sisters area, can she work with him?

He can,kind of. His circles are more like ovals, but he can do a small straight line also.
She doesn't really have a specified area yet, so I would probably need to get him seen by an OT who specialized in children. I'm just trying to figure out if I just need to work with him more, or if he needs some extra help from a professional.
Thanks for your help

[hedgehogs4]

DS will put on pants and undies, but not shirts. He can jump with both feet. He can draw circles and lines. He does cut with scissors.

[Qestia]

My son is 4.5, and was still scribbling till recently, also still has difficulty cutting with scissors--but--he is also getting OT twice a week for fine motor delays and some sensory issues. He does dress himself but that started maybe 6 months ago. And he's always been a good jumper. It might not hurt to have an eval done, we did ours for free (and are getting free services) through the public schools here. I don't think you have anything to "worry" about, but if there's something you could do to help your DC--this might be a good way to find out.

[Catherine12]

If you are really worried, you could go for an assessment. But it may just be a case of your sister seeing the stuff she has just learned about everywhere (like the common phenomenon of medical students who think they have all the diseases they've just been studying). Kids rarely follow the development charts exactly. Variation is normal.

Is your 3yo a recent 3, or an older 3? It makes a big difference. A lot of maturing occurs in that year. My ds is about to turn 4, and he can do all the things you describe. But I don't think he could do them all when he had just turned 3.

Whether a child can dress themselves has a lot to do with how hard you have pushed them to do so. If you always dress him, and he doesn't have the personality type that would object to that, I wouldn't find it surprising that he can't dress himself yet.

Has he had the opportunity to use scissors? Again, if he hasn't had the chance to practice he won't have developed the skill. That is fine. There is no reason why he would need to use scissors at age 3. If you are worried, you could try to give him more opportunities at this (and at drawing) and see if his skills improved.

Isn't hopping on one foot considered a more advanced skill than jumping with two?

I guess if I were you I would work with him in these areas and see if he improves, rather than rushing for the assessment. But you have to go with your gut, not with what anyone else tells you to do.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by Catherine12

Isn't hopping on one foot considered a more advanced skill than jumping with two?

Pretty sure. I know that skipping (which is alternating hopping feet) is like a 4 or 5 year old skill.