4.5 yo with really bad recall/memory?

[UrbanSimplicity]

my dd has a hard time recalling words, she was also a late talker. but i do not think it's developmental because both my mom and i have the same struggle. it's already obvious that my 2.5 yo does not have the same problem. it's a little hard to explain, but i see her difficulty in recalling words, yesterday it was the name of an adult she knows quite well, today she had a hard time remembering where we went to tell dh.

i dont feel like it's a 'diagnosable disorder' but i'm thinking maybe there are some learning games (or something) we can do to build her brain power

Any thoughts or ideas?

[missnoodlesmom]

Hello. Off the top of my head, it sounds like a language processing problem. Expressive language disorder means a child has difficulty with verbal and written expression. Language can either be delayed or disordered or a combination of the two.

The child generally has difficulties with spoken language. Their vocabulary (the number of words they know and say) tends to be smaller and more basic compared with other children of the same age.

They are usually also below the average level for their age in:

* Putting words and sentences together to formulate thoughts
* Recalling words
* Using language appropriately in a variety of settings with different people (for example, at home, in school, with parents and teachers).

I pulled this info from: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...guage_disorder

I work in Early Intervention and this is something that Speech Pathologists work on in our county. If you don't want to get an assessment, I would try to call a college in your area and see if they have an outreach program that will give you strategies and tips on working with your child.

Hope this helps!

[UrbanSimplicity]

Thank you -

Thing is, I did have her evaluated just before she turned 3. She was not talking, had only a few words, mostly grunted and gestured. Before the appointment she started talking (!) and I called them to ask if they should still come. They came, to follow through, and immediately said she was doing great. She passed the age-appropriate tests with flying colors, scored 98 precentile in receptive and 96 percentile for expressive.

Nevertheless, something is amiss. Off to check your link, thanks!

[UrbanSimplicity]

wow - this totally describes mysaelf and my mother! (i bolded the ones that apply.)

* Frequently having trouble finding the right word
* Having a limited and basic vocabulary
* Using non-specific vocabulary such as ‘this’ or ‘thing’
* Using the wrong words in sentences or confusing meaning in sentences
* Making grammatical mistakes, leaving off words (such as helper verbs) and using poor sentence structure
* Relying on short, simple sentence construction
* Using noticeably less words and sentences than children of a similar age
* Relying on stock standard phrases and limited content in speech
* Repeating (or ‘echoing’) a speaker’s utterance
* Inability to ‘come to the point’ or talking in circles
* Problems with retelling a story or relaying information
* Inability to start or hold a conversation
* Difficulty with oral and written work and school assignments in older children.

[missnoodlesmom]

Language Processing problems are extremely hard to diagnose at an early age. At just 2-3 years old, talking in short phrases is "normal". When they hit school age is normally when it starts to be diagnosable. If I were you (hopefully I'm not sounding bossy), I would probably have her assessed by a private speech&language pathologist or a developmental ped. I'm sure the school
District is doing the best they can, but I think private therapists are much better and will work with you when you don't qualify for public school therapy. Plus, you can be in there getting strategies while she works. My son gets private OT for his sensory processing dysfunction and the quality/quantity difference is amazing when looking at the private and public therapies. Just my two.