Why is She Doing This? WWYD?

[kamane18]

DD, 4.5, was on the later side to talk but then started talking in almost complete sentences around 2 and quickly became even more verbal and more understandable than many older kids. But in the last few days, she's been talking with almost a lisp, for lack of a better way of explaining it. When I ask her why she's doing it at first she said she doesn't know. Then she said a particular boy at her school (she goes to pre-K daily from 9-2) does it. I keep asking her to stop nicely, tell her I don't understand when she talks like that, etc. She keeps saying she will stop but then is doing it again within a few minutes.

It almost seems like she's not doing it consciously. Should I believe that it's just because the boy (a popular one) at school does it (if that's even true)? At some point do I need to get it checked out? It's really annoying and somewhat worrisome and totally odd/out of nowhere! Should I draw attention to it? Ignore it? I don't know if it's a "real" problem or not and what to do in either case!

TIA.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I would ignore it.

DD goes through phases where she "tries on" other people's ways of speaking or gestures. It always passes eventually, usually no longer than a couple months. I think calling attention to it makes it stick longer. It doesn't mean that she thinks the person who was using it was cool or popular or whatever... I think its just the novelty of trying something different out. Being as how your DD is especially verbal, she probably picks up on subtle changes in the way people speak and its probably fascinating to her.

[Dreaming]

My kid does that all the time. She's constantly finding new ways to talk (British accent is big around here). I don't even mention it because she doesn't always talk in a different way and eventually she moves on to something else.

[kamane18]

Makes sense. Thanks guys!

[eepster]

DS started to talk in a more babyish manner a couple of times. Once I attributed it to watching too much Wonder Pets at grandpa's house the other I associated it with his new younger friend at school. If you watch the Wonder Pets you'll see the problem quickly. With the friend, it is a multi-age classroom and most of his friends were two year ahead of him, but then he became best buds with another first year student who is a couple of month younger than him.

When DS isn't clear I just ask him to repeat himself more clearly so I can understand him.

It is actually a useful social skill to match the speech and mannerisms of those around one easily.