What do you think about a 6 year old who says words strangely. He went to the "movie-ater"...instead of theater.....looking at his newborn sister he said from now on I'm gonna call you "refridgerator"...he came to sit next to me and he said "move your guts. He seems hyperactive ...cannot sit still, rubs his hands real fast together...everynight bedwetter, can't wipe himself, and unfortunately his father is a pothead and alcoholic. Do you think this could have had an effect on his development?
Maybe, but in the end, it really does not matter why. When all is said and done, even if you can pin point why, it changes nothing when it comes to what would be in his evaluation data.
Question is, what are his parents doing now to help him?
At the very least, he needs a speech evaluation.
M.
It could not hurt to have him checked for Adhd due to the hyper activity (could be a typical 6yr old) and his speach "oddities" are probably due to laziness from parents on not correcting. Sometimes parents think these word flubs are cute.
I think you just answered your own question.
6 yr olds can be pretty cuckoo. He probably just acts this way because no one is training him differently. You are probably a good role model for him. Sounds like lazy parenting to me.
It could be fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, whatever it is he needs to be tested for learning disabilities. Early intervention is the key to success!
Well ultimately if his parents think something is wrong with his development, they should take him to the Doctor.
And hopefully he is getting his annual check-ups too.
If he cannot wipe himself, does his parents do it? Or is he left soiled?
Do they take care of him?
Was his Mom on drugs when she was pregnant with him?
There is no way to predict this.
Only a trained Doctor, can assess him.
Now, hopefully, his Dad/Mom are NOT doing drugs, in front of him nor smoking out, with him in the same room. 2nd hand smoke etc.
And whoa, he has a newborn sister?
How is she taken care of?
With all those things together, I think I would be concerned about his development. His, "move your guts," statement maybe something he has heard his father or some other adult say before. Mispronunciations are common in his age group but that combined with the hyperactivity, rubbing his hands and bedwetting would raise a red flag for me. What do his parents think?
Bedwetting isn't that uncommon up to age 8. He may be drinking too much and not going to the bathroom before bed. My 5yo can't sit still and wets the bed on occasion and sometimes says off the wall things. There is nothing wrong with him so I bet there is nothing wrong with your nephew.Although I don't know him personaly. He may just be a silly little boy and you aren't used to silly boys?
I agree with another poster below that it sounds like he is just being creative in giving things (and his sister) "new" and quirky names. When he saying "movie-ater" instead of "theater," it is clear that he associates movies with a theater -- thus, he has good understanding but sounds like he's just having a little fun with his words and creating new ones. Same for calling his sister a "refrigerator" ... just seems like he's being goofy to me. With regard to the hyperactivity, it could be that he has some form of ADHD, but then again, maybe not. He may just be an active child. His parents (yes, they do seem somewhat lazy in not teaching him to wipe, etc.) should take him to his pediatrician and then possibly a specialist to have him evaluated. But, really, his behavior doesn't seem all that unusual, risky or harmful... Best wishes.
Talk to the mother. Perhaps he gets the wrong input from Dad.
Other wise you can[t help.
yikes. maybe the dad or mom did pot while getting pregnant and while pregnant. saying movie-ater might not be 'so' weird. Our kids pronounced words when they were young that i thought were cute so we started saying it the same way, they thought it was normal. Maybe that is how he said it as a younger child and no one corrected him. calling her refridgerator could even just be him being silly but the hand rubbing and not being able to sit still could be a problem. not being able to wipe is maybe b/c no one has taught him how. Where is his mother since you say his dad is a mess? There must be at least one strong parent to help this child develop. if you are close to your sister you may want to intervene but most moms won't take kindly to that. you can start correcting him and working with him when you are with him. he may have some type of small disorder ADD, ADHD, etc everynight bedwetter is not good either. You might try googling or even looking on webmd.com or even calling a pediatrician for advice or just to know.
I think the moms who have said this is lazy parenting are right on the money.
That said after constant ear infections for years, my son has a hearing deficiency. He cannot distinguish between certain sounds. So until he was about 8 it was the ambuleen truck, the thetee-ater (he still says this and he's 10), cimmimim(cinnamon),
We've have to slow down when speaking to him and correct him. He still butchers quite a few words but is getting better.
When you are with him, repeat the word correctly and make him say it back to you unitl he gets it right. Go syllable by syllable if you have to.
Do not allow him to say things to you like "move your guts" Tell him we say "excuse me" then make him say it to you before you move.
Sounds like you have to be his role model.
