OT - DS's pediatrician appt. today

[Limonada]

To make a long story short.....

DS will be 3 at the beginning of October.  At his 2 year appointment with our GP, we mentioned that we had noticed that his speech wasn't quite on par with other kids his age (fewer words, not yet stringing 2 words together).  He sent us to an audiologist for a hearing test (which checked out fine) and referred us to a local children's centre where they deal with all sorts of behavioral/developmental issues.

We waited 5 months for an assessment - by then, DS' vocabulary had improved (he had well over 50 words, but still wasn't really stringing much together).  The result of the assessment was a referral to an early language development playgroup.  He went to that in July (by which time he was showing even more improvement, initiating more, repeating many more words and finally starting to string 2 words together).  The session was just 6 classes, 45 minutes long each.  We had a follow up appointment, and instead of talking soley about his speech and how he'd progressed in the class, the speech pathologist started talking about how they were going to refer him to occupational therapy because he "couldn't sit still" and some sort of transitions class.  First of all, our son is not all over the place:  he had eye surgery at 2 weeks of age and, as a result wears either contacts or glasses - sometimes he needs to get closer to things to see them better.  Secondly, toddlers have short attention spans....can they be expected to sit completely still, especially when they are not interested in the topic (the classes had themes, and DS wasn't "into" all of them)?

So, they also recommended an overall assessment be done by a pediatrician, which is where we went today.  The doctor and his resident asked us several questions and then interacted with DS - had DS colour for them, give them five, follow some simple directions, etc.  Lately, DS has been talking a lot more, even stringing 3-4 words together and he was doing that for them.  The pediatrician said that, aside from his speech delay (which doesn't concern him due to the fact that he's progressing), all he saw was a normal little boy.  He was worried about autism from reading the report that the children's centre sent but saw no evidence of anything out of the ordinary and says that he doesn't want to see him for another year - and that's just going to be a general check-up for progress.  

Deep in our hearts, DH and I have felt that DS is ok, just a bit slower to express himself verbally, and it felt good to have the pediatrician confirm that today!  We understand that the children's centre just wanted to "cover all of the bases" or whatever and that it's been in DS' best interest to have all of this checked out, but it is a bit disconcerting that, when a child doesn't fit into the mold and a certain facet of their development isn't exactly in line with a perceived notion of what is "normal", flags are raised and the worries start to build.

Sorry... I know it's off-topic, but I just wanted to share!

[Grandmatobe]

I am going to climb on my soapbox for a minute, so I hope you don't mind me sharing my thoughts.  My oldest daughter (who is now almost 23), was a very active toddler and seemed to catch onto things quickly.  When my youngest daughter came along, we noticed that they were so different from eachother, but most children ARE different from eachother, so we didn't think too much of it.  Around kindergarten, the school referred her for testing because she seemed to have issues with hearing certain letters.  Tests came back fine.  In second grade, they referred her again, and we found that she had some learning disabilities and was sent to speech therapy and put on an IEP at school.  From that point forward, her "skills" continued to decline, but we continued the interventions offered by the school.

What we came to realize much later (and looking back on things) was that she had learned to cope with her disabilities by covering them up.  We thought when she was very little that she was super smart because she was reading early.  Turns out, she had memorized the stories that we read to her and she would parrot them back.  To this day, she doesn't do well with any type of reading comprehension.  She just doesn't get it and can't retain it.

I bring this up to encourage you to remain open to their suggestions and if they have concerns, get them checked out, as you have been doing.  While every child grows and learns at different intervals, teachers have been around many many children, so if a red flag goes up for them, then it's worth investigating, so it can be caught early.  If I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now, I would have pushed for even more interventions to help my daughter out, but that is water under the bridge.

[JoyRenee]

You know, my oldest can sit still for something like that. But my second daughter can NOT sit still and she doesn't have autism or ADD or anything of that nature. She's just a very physical child who likes to move and dance.

I think they were just being cautious. Did the centre even end up discussing their findings with your child's speech issues? It does sound like he's not where he should be for his age, but he is progressing (which is good). It probably has to do with his personality.

[tiredbuthappy]

since there is so much evidence about the effectiveness of early intervention, i can understand them erring on the side of caution and raising red flags. i suspect it wasn't one thing but several little things that caused them to be concerned. while one or even several of these behaviors alone can be very normal and typical, when combined with a speech delay they can signal a problem. i can't even imagine how stressful this was for you, but you handled it very appropriately. you didn't agree with the assessment, but followed through with your ped despite this. and now you have peace of mind. i have seen parental denial have a serious impact on the child's development. glad that everything is ok!

[smjmekg]

I think some doctors are just stupid. Anyone who has ever been around children know, that they are NOT all the same, and what is "normal" for one child might not be the case for another. Children learn in their own time how to do things. I was worried about my DS because he was doing everything early up until 7 months. He took forever to walk by himself, and started saying "ma ma" at 10 and a half months, but I didn't look to much into him not saying anything until the age he was because, he's a very busy baby. He's always doing things, and always into things, he doesn't like to be still long. I think your son is just fine, and that he's doing great for where he was/is now. My cousin, who turns 4 this year, has just recently become understandable when he talks. He was talking, but unless you were around him a lot, you couldn't understand him. The doctors gave him six months until they would put him in speech therapy, but he never went, didn't need it. I personally blame it on him having a pacifier and talking with it in his mouth, but still...he picked up talking more clearly and using more words quick after he turned three because he would pay more attention to you when you were talking.  A teacher of mine said something that I believe to this day, although it was about potty training, I think it fits for all baby boys, at all times...she said "boys are busy", and it's true. I had a classroom of 12 two year olds, mostly boys, and the girls could sit still better than the boys. I actually had one year olds join the class towards the end of the day, and the little girl in the one year old class would sit still for an entire thirty minute video of the wiggles, while all the boys one year olds and two year olds ran around the room. I swear, sometimes I think parents make better doctors than men and women who have spent years in school to be these "professionals" we take our children to, we're all different in our own way, and babies will all do things in their own time. I told DH that DS would talk when he had something to say, maybe your son is the same, and he just didn't have much to say yet. :)