Will's evaluation was today. My nerves have taken a back seat since the day his pediatrician alarmed me. Dan and I have been on him like white on rice with reading and playing. His vocabulary has jumped and (I think) he's been babbling more. Those are all good signs. But besides the vocabulary, I've been observing his actions. He's been vocal about wanting things (like water or cookies). He helps you take the groceries out of the bags. He's been pretend playing a lot, especially with the phone. He walks around the apartment pretending that he's talking to somebody.
Within 15 to 20 minutes of the psychologist and speech language pathologist watching and playing with him, they were able to tell me that he's where he should be. The 20-50 words for his age is not accurate. It's more like 10-15 words, which is where he was last month. The only thing they did notice from him was that he was quiet. We told him that he's distracted by the toys and Dan mentioned that we all tend to be quiet, which is probably why he was. They told us that we need to be more talkative. By the end of their visit, he was yapping away. They saw how he asked for water, cookies, and to go "up" for me to carry him.
We mentioned to them that we were looking for either to put him into daycare a few times a week or finding some kind of play group for him so that he's exposed to other children. They gave us some great suggestions, which we'll be checking out and they agreed that he needs exposure to other kids. They were very pleased with him and said that we're doing a great job with him and he doesn't qualify for any help. He's fine!
Although I had suspected as much, it is a relief to know it. I won't feel so bad the next time I go to the doctor and she tells me he's not up to par with his vocabulary. I'll simply let her know about today's evaluation and say that he's fine. There are no cognitive or social issues to worry about.
About him being quiet. I'm not sure how Dan was when he was a kid, but I know that I was very quiet even when I was playing. I have a feeling Dan was the same because he's that way now (not that he's playing), but you know what I mean. It might be that we passed it down to him. He keeps himself entertained for a good amount of time. He also doesn't have another kid around him to keep him talking. He's not shy because he immediately went to the women and smiled at them (especially when he saw the suitcase full of toys they brought with them).
We're really happy with their evaluation. We just have to make sure that we're more talkative and expose him more to other children. Now that the weather will be nicer, I'll make sure he's out at the park, playing with other kids. And now I'm off to find him some play groups!!
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3 comments:
Just to make you aware--parents should never depend on an eval. from E/I. Trust me, they do everything in their power to convince parents all is well due to the fact they are always short staffed and if they admit a child is delayed they may have to fund expensive outside services if they can't provide it. I see it happen all the time. I have seen children not being diagnosed with autism, for exmaple, by a year or two directly because the scams at E/I just wanted to get them to three years old where the district would then be responsible and not E/I. If your doctor is concerned then I would listen to him or her and get an independent eval. from a Developmental Pediatrician or a Pediatric Neuropsychologist just to be safe. I don't mean to sound negative but I fight these cases everyday for kids so they can be diagnosed early and get the appropriate intervention.
I appreciate your concern. It's definitely something to always keep in mind. My little guy has been very vocal since the pediatrician first mentioned that he was behind on speaking. She also mentioned that she thought it might be because he's bilingual. My husband and I have been very conscious to make sure we talk with him more, play more, and read more. My parents have also put in the effort.
He's jumped from speaking about 15 words to almost thirty. It's probably more now. We've been keeping a list of what he speaks. Most of the words he says are not from mimicking either, which I think is a great sign.
We see his pediatrician in two months and we'll let her know about the evaluation and where he's up to in his vocabulary. If there's still some doubt in her mind, then we'll take additional steps.
Believe me, I'm not the type of parent that denies there's anything going on with her child. If there's something there, he'll get the help.
So happy to read this post, XD. :-)
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