Strrange behavior 3 year old?

My 3 year old likes to rip paper towel or flowers in very small pieces and throw them up in the air , then he picks them up and throws them again many times . He also has a speech delay for his age. He lines up cars,books or animals . He is very shy and unsociable , never talks to strangers , otherwise at he he is happy , smiles,he is very loving,has eye contact ... I would like to know if this behavior is normal for his age or should I be concerned .

Strrange behavior 3 year old?
You already sound concerned and from the way you worded this question I can only assume you are specifically concerned that your child may fall within the autism spectrum of disorders. It is important to know that any one characteristic is not a concern. When a child has many characteristics and they get in the way of normal social, language and cognitive development, then the concern is reasonible. I strongly suggest you bring him to the doctor and specifically say that you want him evaluated for Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder. I would also refer him to the local school district. Yes, schools serve children this age in the United States.





I assume he has language and you mentioned the eye contact, you must understand that all children are different. There is a range of symptoms and degrees individuals are effected by the disorder.





I know this is a very difficult time, and I would love to offer you hope. As a Child Development Specialist, I have meet and worked with many families both before they had concerns and after diagnosis. This will be a challenging time for all involved. Getting an appointment can take months, and often times doctors will not diagnosis on the first visit. That is why it is important to get him into a program as soon as possible.





Good Luck and God Bless
Reply:Sounds like a wonderful kid who knows how to have FUN!!!! Parents need to learn from him!!!!!!
Reply:VERY NORMAL! My three year old will tear up anything he can. It is just cause and effect. My son also lines up his cars. It is just their way of making their space their own. Be glad he doesnt talk to strangers, it is a good habit. Other than he seems to do almost everything my son does. At this age also everything is just a phase!
Reply:he sounds like a normal 3 year old to me...
Reply:every 3 year old learns at a different pace,ripping paper towels is not that weird my god-baby who is 3 loves loud music and being shy at 3 is not weird as for not talking to strangers that is good most toddlers talk to strangers dont be worried he will be fine
Reply:i agree he is just a kid having fun stop worrying....i have 3 kids and i went through just about the same stuff....they get so amused by little things and thats what is great about it
Reply:Sounds like he is having fun to me. Who doesn't like confetti??? :)





My own son does this and he is 15 months old, so it seems pretty normal overall. I know when something is "wrong" about your child you tend to read into things too much and worry about everything.





If you do have problems with his shyness or lining toys up, talk to his doctor at the next visit.
Reply:Speak to your pediatrician about your concerns, perhaps try to get him into speech therapy. That may be part of why he is shy - it is hard to talk to strangers when they never understand you. My three year old speaks well for his age, and people still don't always understand him. My son also likes to line things up, and kids that age are always experimenting with "what will happen if . . ."
Reply:Totally normal, joyful. The tearing tossing and repeating...totally joyful. lining things up -- at that age kiddos are grouping things to make sense of them. it's all good.


on the speech...Just keep talking to him in a regular voice using regular words and read to him every day, chances are his speech will develop just fine. My friend's nephew didn't talk at all until he was three and had a super limited vocabulary, now at 4 he talks nonstop. the eye contact and happiness are really good signs, he sounds wonderful.
Reply:I wouldn't be too worried at this point.
Reply:My daughter went through the tear stuff up stage. I think they like to make a mess because they want to see if you'll clean up! Take my advice please and don't clean it up for him. that will probably fix the problem
Reply:I would definitely talk with you paediatrician. Another good idea would be to camcord him and show your paediatrician. It is usually not all that normal for repetitive behaviour to occur in a 3 year old. It may just be some thing your son finds fun but if it were me I would make the appt. and speak to his doc. I used to work with kids who had autism and other types of disorders. It is always better to find the piece of mind and now things are alright or get the help he may need before entering school. Good luck to you!
Reply:It's a little strange, but it may just be his personality. My son lines things up like crazy, assorts by color, has since he was able. He does the same things over and over sometimes (like say a word- drives me nuts) but the doc (two docs- got a second opinion) both said he was fine. That was when he was around 2. Now he's 4 and not only super outgoing and friendly (he used to be shy) but not so wired up about lining his stuff up anymore. Try not to worry much, but see a doc just to make yourself feel better. It doesn't sound like Autism since he has eye contact and is responsive and loving to you.