Shouldn't an almost 5 year old know what a goat/parrot/etc look like?

[Anonymous]

I think the OP is laughing that people are actually responding about her "daughter's" ability to recognize a goat.

Sometimes this board is ridiculous. Ridiculous, but entertaining!

[maynie]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. The OP must have a bit too much time on her hands to be thinking about this. Feel free to come over and help me out w/ real issues. I've got a few (and none of them involve animals).

If this was the gauge for everyone to post on DCUM, the boards would be empty. You could say the same thing about almost all the posts. Give the OP a break. She noticed something odd about her kid and thought she would ask about it. OP if it was my child I would have been wondering why she didn't know those things as well. So I don't think it's overkill for you to ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the OP is laughing that people are actually responding about her "daughter's" ability to recognize a goat.

Sometimes this board is ridiculous. Ridiculous, but entertaining!

Thank you. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this post was a joke. The tone is so completely over the top -- LOL!!!!!

(That said, if I'm wrong and OP is indeed serious, the goat/parrot thing is the least of her daughter's problems. More immediate is the fact that her mom is a high strung stress case . . . . )

[Anonymous]

OP here: It seems that I've provided comic relief to quite a few posters. Thanks to those who answered thoughtfully and didn't think I was a nutcase. Important information is often lost in short, anonymous postings. We have a strong family history of learning disabilities and I've always been watchful of this cropping up. Perhaps it is still crazy to be concerned. I just wondered whether other typical kids ever have trouble with any of this or whether it is a marker for something being potentially off.

[Anonymous]

OP: I understand your concern. I would just try not to worry about it too much. I have two children and have found that each one finds different things important to them, so that's what they are going to pay attention to. That said, you might want to just keep an eye out for when she starts reading or learning her letters to see if perhaps what you have observed thus far might be an early sign of dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: I understand your concern. I would just try not to worry about it too much. I have two children and have found that each one finds different things important to them, so that's what they are going to pay attention to. That said, you might want to just keep an eye out for when she starts reading or learning her letters to see if perhaps what you have observed thus far might be an early sign of dyslexia.

I agree. Perhaps it's just reflects your daughter's learning style. With all of her obvious strengths, I wouldn't be worried about this particular issue. But you can always run it by her teacher, if only for peace of mind.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps it is still crazy to be concerned.

Yes, this. What great score did she get on what test? I honestly don't even know what you were talking about, but it sounds like your kid is plenty smart. If your child had a learning disability, it would be showing up in many ways other than/in addition to recognizing a goat.

[Anonymous]

OP here: a poster asked what the WPPSI was. Its the standard intelligence test used for the independent school admissions process. I brought it up to bolster my statement that DD appears to be smart, not to boast or confuse folks. In other words, that she should be familiar with animals and animal sounds by now. I am honestly worried that this is an early sign of a learning issue. Nothing we can do right now but watch it. Thank you to everyone who responded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: a poster asked what the WPPSI was. Its the standard intelligence test used for the independent school admissions process. I brought it up to bolster my statement that DD appears to be smart, not to boast or confuse folks. In other words, that she should be familiar with animals and animal sounds by now. I am honestly worried that this is an early sign of a learning issue. Nothing we can do right now but watch it. Thank you to everyone who responded.

I was the WPPSI poster. I wanted to add that intelligence really doesn't discount the chance there could be a learning disability there. I am very intelligent, have a very high I.Q., but still have dyslexia, dyspraxia and A.D.H.D.. Schools are much better equipped to handle these things (if your DD is even LD, which chances are she isn't) than they were when I was young. I have a four year old who has already been diagnosed with ADHD. It's a bit more of a difficult road, but not an impossible one.

[Anonymous]

Don't stress. I've always wondered why teaching animal sounds was such an important thing for toddlers. Really - why would anyone who doesn't live on a farm need to know these things?

If she can name other things - types of dinosaurs, types of trucks, princesses, fairies, whatever interests HER, then I wouldn't worry one bit. There is no test in life where knowing "MAAA" passes you.

[Anonymous]

The key question is, did your daughter have no idea what the goat was, or could she not think of the word?

I have a very intelligent DS who also has trouble with word retrieval. Words which he knows perfectly well, he can't consistently think of on demand. It has had an impact on his academic performance, although nothing huge. He was slow to develop reading fluency because he couldn't instantly label sight words, but now reads well above grade level. He sometimes misses points on tests because he can't recall the precise term, but he's pretty good at talking around the term. He sometimes comes up with truly hilarious malapropisms. But he does very well over all.

If the issue with your daughter is word retrieval, I would keep an eye on it - but no real need to intervene now if it's only a now-and-then thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: It seems that I've provided comic relief to quite a few posters. Thanks to those who answered thoughtfully and didn't think I was a nutcase. Important information is often lost in short, anonymous postings. We have a strong family history of learning disabilities and I've always been watchful of this cropping up. Perhaps it is still crazy to be concerned. I just wondered whether other typical kids ever have trouble with any of this or whether it is a marker for something being potentially off.

Oops. I was one of the PPs who thought this was a joke, and I apologize. You're right that your question sounds a lot different with more context. Sorry for being obnoxious.

I don't have much to add, except that you probably want to be mindful about your worries. It makes sense to keep a close eye on things, of course. But you don't want your child to pick up on your anxiety. Some kids are amazingly sensitive to parental stress/anxiety and can come to all sorts of weird conclusions about themselves if they feel mom or dad thinks something is "wrong" with them. My guess is you're using this board as an outlet for your worry (don't we all?!), but I felt like I should mention it because this is something I try to keep a close eye on with myself.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP needs to relax and let her kid be a kid and not SOOO perfect and perform SOOO well...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The key question is, did your daughter have no idea what the goat was, or could she not think of the word?

I have a very intelligent DS who also has trouble with word retrieval. Words which he knows perfectly well, he can't consistently think of on demand. It has had an impact on his academic performance, although nothing huge. He was slow to develop reading fluency because he couldn't instantly label sight words, but now reads well above grade level. He sometimes misses points on tests because he can't recall the precise term, but he's pretty good at talking around the term. He sometimes comes up with truly hilarious malapropisms. But he does very well over all.

If the issue with your daughter is word retrieval, I would keep an eye on it - but no real need to intervene now if it's only a now-and-then thing.

OP here: Thanks for this post. I think keeping an eye on it at the moment makes sense rather than intervene. But I am curious what interventions would be necessary if indeed this is early word retrieval issues. I think DD knows what a goat is and could not think of the word. She also knows that lions roar but could not come up with it. What type of therapist works with this and what do they do? Again, I don't intend to do anything at the moment but I want to educate myself about future options. Thanks again