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How old would you say this boy is

26 replies

TheZanyPinkSquid · 09/03/2026 17:05

Hi everyone, according to this profile, how old would you say the child is? Thank you

Developmental Profile
• Communication: Fully nonverbal aside from saying “mama” and “bye-bye.” Uses signs for “food” and “more”. Can follow one- and two-step instructions, sometimes needing visual cues.

• Language understanding: Understands familiar objects and concepts when prompted. Can comprehend letters, phonics, and numbers, and can understand simple quantifying concepts (e.g., “3 blocks = number 3 but will NOT understand 2 is smaller than 3 or x is shorter than y).

• Social interaction: Copies actions and laughter. Shows selective emotional responses (reacts to unfamiliar children crying but not to parents). Limited joint attention — rarely points or shows objects to share interest.

• Play / Cognition: Enjoys stacking blocks (6–7), building train tracks, playing with trains, and listening to audio stories/music. Mostly engages in repetitive or structured play, lining up toys and exploring patterns. Can perform pretend play if prompted, but does not initiate it spontaneously.

• Motor skills: Gross motor skills strong — runs, jumps, climbs stairs independently and confidently. Fine motor skills developing — uses a spoon (occasionally messy), drinks from an open cup cleanly, fork not yet.

• Adaptive skills: Participates in some self-feeding. Can follow instructions to help with simple tasks when prompted.

• Strengths: letter/number understanding. Engages deeply with favorite activities. Emerging receptive language skills and ability to follow instructions.

• Pretend play when prompted, great interest in building train tracks, no understanding of using legos or magnatiles to build houses/people/figures/ but will stack them up, can pretend to feed a baby but no interest in it, no interest in pretending to cook/play shop/dress up , but will occasionally play with cars. Loves listening to toniebox and yoto

OP posts:
DameOfThrones · 09/03/2026 17:08

Is the child NT?

Was that written by one of their parents?

TFImBackIn · 09/03/2026 17:12

• Language understanding: Understands familiar objects and concepts when prompted. Can comprehend letters, phonics, and numbers, and can understand simple quantifying concepts (e.g., “3 blocks = number 3 but will NOT understand 2 is smaller than 3 or x is shorter than y)

This seems a strange thing to say when you're talking about a child who can't say more than a few words. WILL NOT UNDERSTAND! FFS.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 09/03/2026 17:16

He sounds like he’s extremely behind so difficult to say age…

watchingthishtread · 09/03/2026 17:16

This is impossible to answer.

Howeasy · 09/03/2026 17:19

i say age 3. @TheZanyPinkSquid why do you ask?

Favouritefruits · 09/03/2026 17:25

Honestly, it’s impossible to give you an answer. Have they got development delays or any additional needs? He could be 2 all the way to 22 and beyond!

StrippeyFrog · 09/03/2026 17:45

I don’t think it’s possible to say based on that. My 5 year old can’t do some of those things. If you suspect they have a developmental delay then maybe contact your HV or lookup the ASQ-3 questionnaire for their age range to give you some idea of whether they’re on track or not.

scrivette · 09/03/2026 17:49

3/4

Senmum2026 · 09/03/2026 17:50

In what way are his strengths letter and numbers?

Ohthatsabitshit · 09/03/2026 17:55

About 1-2years

Boughy · 09/03/2026 17:58

Impossible to say and I think you're asking the question the wrong way round. One of the typical language development milestones is 6+ words the primary caregiver can understand by 18m. If they are not doing that then they are either under 18m or a bit speech delayed. So what is the point of me guessing their age?

If you just tell us how old they are and ask whether they sound on track I think you will get much more useful answers.

If they are over 18m ask your HV about a speech and language assessment.

BauhausOfEliott · 09/03/2026 18:03

Language understanding: Understands familiar objects and concepts when prompted. Can comprehend letters, phonics, and numbers, and can understand simple quantifying concepts (e.g., “3 blocks = number 3 but will NOT understand 2 is smaller than 3 or x is shorter than y)

Genuine question: how you can truly determine how well a child can grasp letters, phonics and quantifying concepts if the only way the child communicates is by saying 'mama' and 'bye bye' and signing 'more' and 'food'?

BauhausOfEliott · 09/03/2026 18:05

The OP has another thread from a couple of days ago saying that her son is four.

Originalbutter · 09/03/2026 18:17

5

Whereohwhere2026 · 09/03/2026 18:33

Anything between 1 and 18 depending on whether they have additional needs so it's a very broad baseline.

Upthenorth · 09/03/2026 18:36

TFImBackIn · 09/03/2026 17:12

• Language understanding: Understands familiar objects and concepts when prompted. Can comprehend letters, phonics, and numbers, and can understand simple quantifying concepts (e.g., “3 blocks = number 3 but will NOT understand 2 is smaller than 3 or x is shorter than y)

This seems a strange thing to say when you're talking about a child who can't say more than a few words. WILL NOT UNDERSTAND! FFS.

My son cannot say much but fully understands much speech and many complex concepts.
Communication isn’t always speech.

Upthenorth · 09/03/2026 18:38

BauhausOfEliott · 09/03/2026 18:03

Language understanding: Understands familiar objects and concepts when prompted. Can comprehend letters, phonics, and numbers, and can understand simple quantifying concepts (e.g., “3 blocks = number 3 but will NOT understand 2 is smaller than 3 or x is shorter than y)

Genuine question: how you can truly determine how well a child can grasp letters, phonics and quantifying concepts if the only way the child communicates is by saying 'mama' and 'bye bye' and signing 'more' and 'food'?

The child might write or type. A communication device perhaps.
Things that can be done physically eg putting 3 blocks on the number 3, phonics matching the letter with the sound etc.

FreshInks · 09/03/2026 18:41

Is sounds weird because it’s quite obviously written by chat GPT.

Helplessandheartbroke · 09/03/2026 18:45

Every child is different despite age and NT vs ND. My ds is non verbal autistic and does some of these things and hes 5.

properidiot · 09/03/2026 20:03

I'm not sure how you would know the child can comprehend phonics and letters if they are nonverbal. The language fits a NT 18-24 month old yet the gross motor skills probably not. As pps have said this is an impossible question to answer. Could be anything from NT 18 month old to young adult with developmental delay and/or disability.

HortiGal · 09/03/2026 20:17

Excellent for 12mths, not so good for 5yrs, far too vague a question

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 09/03/2026 21:33

Since he is struggling with speech please get his hearing tested. If he is 4 I would definitely speak to health visitor for an assessment.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 09/03/2026 21:34

This could be someone of any age tbh, but someone autistic ❤️

SausageMonkey2 · 09/03/2026 21:37

My cousin is 36 and doesn’t have these skills. What are you really asking?

Boughy · 09/03/2026 21:54

properidiot · 09/03/2026 20:03

I'm not sure how you would know the child can comprehend phonics and letters if they are nonverbal. The language fits a NT 18-24 month old yet the gross motor skills probably not. As pps have said this is an impossible question to answer. Could be anything from NT 18 month old to young adult with developmental delay and/or disability.

I would recommend The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida, or the documentary of the same name.

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