Over the past few months, we have become increasingly concerned with Ben's vocabulary development. I have probably worried more than Greg has, (which is typical - I'm an over-worrier), but over the past 2 weeks I decided that I needed to do something about it.
I started with a call to my doctor. I told her that while Ben has said about 40 words since he started talking, we really only hear about 10 of them on a regular basis. His level of understanding has been of no concern at all, but it has felt as though many of his peers are starting to string together 2 words and add new words to their vocabulary at a rapid pace - all while Ben has continued to only use his favorite words.
My doctor told me that if I wanted her to, she would refer him for further evaluation. I got the sense that she wasn't officially concerned, but that he also is in a bit of a grey area and it couldn't hurt to check it out. And since I'm one for being
I called the place she recommended, the Snohomish County Infant and Toddler Early Intervention Program, which is where anyone with a concern about how their child is developing (in any area) would go. After speaking to the program manager there, she thought that instead of automatically scheduling an evaluation, (since she also thought that Ben was pretty borderline in terms of needing assistance) that we should start with the Help Me Grow Program, a division of Within Reach.
Help Me Grow is a program that offers families in WA:
- Free developmental screening (for kids under 5)
- Activities and Games that are matched to your child's age and skills
- Information on community resources for parents and families
She called me THAT NIGHT with results (amazing). The results showed that he is on schedule in his development in gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal-social, but that he is in the grey area for his communication development.
As we discussed everything, she told me that it really was up to me as to whether to have him get a full evaluation or not. She said that she could provide me with different activities and techniques that we could use to try to stimulate that verbal development at home while we continue to monitor him (which is the route we decided to go on first), but told me that if I had that parental gut feeling, it wouldn't hurt to have him evaluated to see if he could benefit from some type of speech therapy.
The following morning she sent me a bunch of material. Over the past week, I feel like we have seen an increase in his babbling, but no actual word process. I decided to follow up with Stephanie to just move forward with an evaluation. The way I see it, that way we will know we have sought out all of the resources we know of and get him all the help he needs (if, in fact, he needs it).
Part of being a parent that I have learned over the past 21+ months is that it is SO important to follow that gut feeling. There really is a difference between being crazy and overprotective (which I am at times) and knowing when you really should seek help. I always want to be an advocate for Ben and his health and I cannot tell you how much better I feel just having made a few phone calls.
And furthermore, I wanted to blog about this to make sure that everyone knows about these resources that exist and that are FREE! I was told that almost 50% of the people who complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaire are not even concerned with any particular area of their child's development, but are curious to know how they child is doing in these areas.
If you are interested in completing a questionnaire, you can contact Stephanie at 206-830-7660.
Anyway, that is the latest! The evaluation will take place next Monday - I'll be sure to keep the blog updated with any new information we learn :)
Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3 ™), Squires & Bricker
E101220100
© 2009 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. All rights reserved.
On the following pages are questions about activities babies may do. Your baby may have already done some of the activities
described here, and there may be some your baby has not begun doing yet. For each item, please fill in the circle that indicates whether your baby is doing the activity regularly, sometimes, or not yet.
At this age, many toddlers may not be cooperative when asked to do things. You may need to try the following activities with your child more than one time. If possible, try the activities when your child is cooperative. If your child can do the activity but refuses, mark “yes” for the item.
COMMUNICATION
1. If you point to a picture of a ball (kitty, cup, hat, etc.) and ask your child, “What is this?” does your child correctly
name at least one picture?
2. Without your giving him clues by pointing or using gestures, can your child carry out at least
three of these kinds of directions?
a. “Put the toy on the table.”
b. “Close the door.”
c. “Bring me a towel.”
d. “Find your coat.”
e. “Take my hand.”
f. “Get your book.”
d. “Find your coat.”
e. “Take my hand.”
f. “Get your book.”
3. When you ask your child to point to her nose, eyes, hair, feet, ears, and so forth, does she correctly point to at least
seven body parts? (She can point to parts of herself, you, or a doll. Mark “sometimes” if she correctly points to at least three body parts).
4. Does your child say 15 or more words in addition to “Mama” and “Dada”?
5. Does your child correctly use at least two words like “me,” “I,” “mine,” and “you”?
6. Does your child say two or three words that represent different ideas together, such as “See dog,” “Mommy come home,” or “Kitty gone”?
(Don’t count word combinations that express one idea, such as “byebye,”
“all gone,” “all right,” and “What’s that?”)
Please give an example of your child’s word combinations:
GROSS MOTOR
1. When you show your child how to kick a large ball, does he try to kick the ball by moving his leg forward or by walking into it?
(If your child already kicks a ball, mark “yes” for this item.)
2. Does your child run fairly well, stopping herself without bumping into things or falling?
3. Does your child walk down stairs if you hold onto one of his hands? He may also hold onto the railing or wall.
(You can look for this at a store, on a playground, or at home.)
4. Does your child walk either up or down at least two steps by herself? He may hold onto the railing or wall.
5. Does your child jump with both feet leaving the floor at the same time?
6. Without holding onto anything for support, does your child kick a ball by swinging his leg forward?
FINE MOTOR
1. Does your child get a spoon into her mouth right side up so that the food usually doesn’t spill?
2. Does your child stack six small blocks or toys on top of each other by himself?
3. Does your child use a turning motion with her hand while trying to turn doorknobs, wind up toys, twist tops, or screw lids on and off jars?
4. Does your child turn the pages of a book by himself?
(He may turn more than one page at a time.)
5. Does your child flip switches off and on?
6. Can your child string small items such as beads, macaroni, or pasta “wagon wheels” onto a string or shoelace?
PROBLEM SOLVING
1. Without your showing her how, does your child scribble back and forth when you give her a crayon (or pencil or pen)?
2. While your child watches, line up four objects like blocks or cars in a row. Does your child copy or imitate you and line up at least two blocks side by side? (You can also use spools of thread, small boxes, or other toys.)
3. Does your child pretend objects are something else? For example,
does your child hold a cup to his ear, pretending it is a telephone? Does he put a box on his head, pretending it is a hat? Does he use a block or small toy to stir food?
4. After watching you draw a line from the top of the paper to the bottom with a crayon (or pencil or pen), does your child copy you by drawing a single line on the paper in
any direction? (Mark “not yet” if your child scribbles back and forth.)
5. After a crumb or Cheerio is dropped into a small, clear bottle, does your child turn the bottle upside down to dump out the crumb or Cheerio?
(Do not show her how.) (You can use a soda-pop bottle or a baby bottle.)
6. If you give your child a bottle, spoon, or pencil upside down, does he turn it right side up so that he can use it properly?
PERSONAL-SOCIAL
1. Does your child copy the activities you do, such as wipe up a spill, sweep, shave, or comb hair?
2. If you do any of the following gestures, does your child copy at least one of them?
a. Open and close your mouth.
b. Blink your eyes.
c. Pull on your earlobe.
d. Pat your cheek.
3. Does your child eat with a fork?
4. Does your child drink from a cup or glass, putting it down again with little spilling?
5. When playing with either a stuffed animal or a doll, does your child pretend
to rock it, feed it, change its diapers, put it to bed, and so forth?
6. Does your child push a little wagon, stroller, or other toy on wheels, steering it around objects and backing out of corners if she cannot turn?
OVERALL
Parents and providers may use the space below for additional comments.
1. Do you think your child hears well? If no, explain:
2. Do you think your child talks like other toddlers her age? If no, explain:
3. Can you understand most of what your child says? If no, explain:
4. Do you think your child walks, runs, and climbs like other toddlers his age? If no, explain:
5. Does either parent have a family history of childhood deafness or hearing impairment? If yes, explain:
6. Do you have concerns about your child’s vision? If yes, explain:
7. Has your child had any medical problems in the last several months? If yes, explain:
8. Do you have any concerns about your child’s behavior? If yes, explain:
9. Does anything about your child worry you? If yes, explain:
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