Two year old will not play

[momofthree]

I have a two year J that is with me for over a year, comes two to three times a week. When he started he was not slow not fully develop as his parents was baby him alot. He will not eat, cannot do anything.

Now J cannot play at all. Gave J some toys show him how to play he will not touch the toy instead he will sit there and roll his eyes up that you can only see the white part of his eyes that is really scary.

J cannot hold a crayon, I have been trying my best to help him but want to gave up now.

Any suggestions. He now start talking. He will be three in Sept.

[sunnydays]

How long has he been with you? Have you talked to his parents about this? I am a new caregiver, so don't have the experience that some others here have (although I've been a mom for a long time), but to me it sounds like he may need to be checked out by a doctor to make sure his development is normal. I think you should discuss all of this with the parents although you have to be careful not to get the parents into a defensive position.

[mom-in-alberta]

Based on what you are saying, something doesn't seem completely right about this!! It may be a difficult conversation, but I think it needs to be discussed with mom and dad. It's possible that they have already noticed. It's one thing for him to have been "babied" at home. That may mean that he doesn't WANT to hold a cup/spoon, feed himself, entertain himself, etc. But if you feel that at two years old he is UNABLE to do these things, that is an issue. You mentioned he has started talking... how is his speech? At 2 1/2, going on 3, he should be stringing words together ("J have cup?"), not just beginning single words. And the eye-rolling is of concern to me. Have you seen any repetitive behaviour with his hands or head? Or rocking/ banging various body parts? Does he make eye contact, and seem to make an emotional connection with you or any other people? If you have other children in your care, how does he interact with them?

[playfelt]

I have a child that will be 3 this summer and he has been coming to me one day a week since he was an infant. He was very much as you describe this child. Even now his speech is limited and mostly limited to rhyming off lists of things. Yes I have concerns. But he is cared for by the grandparents on the other days. He basically does nothing for himself. He is totally babied and catered to. He doesn't have to play because they hold him and read to him, take him for walks in the stroller, hold him while he naps, feed him lest he make a mess, he does hold his own sippy cup. He is learning to use a spoon at my house but mostly I give him the same finger foods I give the little ones. I have noticed some changes in him over the last few months. It is hard to say what is going on on the days you don't have him in care in the sense of a child needs to practice things to get good at it. He may just not know how to play. But just as I have been making notes with the child I have in care there is something that goes beyond what I am seeing/not seeing just don't have enough to go on. Parents don't see it in the few hints I have made in conversation but then if you feed a child you don't realize that they don't know how.

[mamaof4]

I would suggest that maybe this child have a developmental eval.