Preschoolfirst can be an important resource to help parents who may have questions about their child’s progress and development. Last week one of our PreschoolFirst subscribers shared an experience she had with an upset parent of one of the children for whom she cares. During the 18 month old child’s regular checkup, the pediatrician brought up a concern about the child’s language development and recommended an evaluation. Understandably, the parent became very upset and concerned that her child might not be developing as she should.
The distraught parent shared the pediatrician’s recommendation with her child’s caregiver – a caregiver who is also one of our PreschoolFirst subscribers. This Caregiver enters regular observations for each child in her care and has a full set of behaviors she knows each child can do. She shared the progress reports of this child with the parent and suggested that she make another appointment to ask the pediatrician for more details about his recommendation.
PreschoolFirst is not intended to be used as a “diagnostic tool” – but PreschoolFirst progress reports can help a parent ask the pedestrian questions as a way to clarify any areas of concern. It is important to remember that a pediatrician is trained to look objectively at your child’s development and should he or she recommend an evaluation, it is essential for a parent to follow through. This may rule out any suspected delays or it may help begin early intervention services that are in the best interest of the child.
Parents can share the observations from the child’s caregiver with a pediatrician as a way to learn if those who know the child best may have missed something. Obviously, those of use who spend time each day with children may learn to understand their unique gestures, pronunciations, and non-verbal ways they communicate. Although typical development can vary greatly from child to child, sometimes an objective observer may be more aware of a child’s differences than one who must learn to meet their needs daily.
PreschoolFirst progress reports can help parents learn more details about why a pediatrician may feel an evaluation is important, we caution that parent or caregiver observations in the progress reports should not be used to justify withholding consent or ignoring a recommended evaluation. In many circumstances the right services at the right time can help children avoid the need for interventions and special services in the future. Early interventions are very effective and can be a gift!
KidSource Online. 2000. What Is Early Intervention? Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Online: http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/early.intervention.htm (Retrieved March 22, 2009).
Zero to Three. 2009. Seven Tips for Surviving Your Child's Developmental Assessment. Washington, DC: Zero to Three. Online: http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_screen_tips (Retrieved March 22, 2009).
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