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When Should I be Worried About My Child's Development?
All of us, parents, are worried
about our child one time or another. We are
asking ourselves - is my child OK, or is there a
problem?
Regarding our child's development, things
are sometimes quite difficult to notice, since
children can vary significantly. For example, Gadi, my nephew, wasn't talking yet at age 2,
and my sister was worried about his development.
However, there was no delay in his development.
It is important to diagnose a problem if
there is one. The earlier treatment starts, the
better the chances for full recovery. Very
precious time can be wasted, if a problem goes
undiagnosed, or if the parent hesitates to seek
help.
One thing that I hear repeatedly from
doctors and parents alike is this: rely on your
intuition. Nobody knows your child like you do.
Make it a habit to observe your child when
he is playing in a group. Look at other children
your child's age, to see if there are
differences in development. Look for any other
signs of trouble. Educate yourself about
development mile stones. Those are just general,
but they are important for you to know.
If, for example, your child starts walking
a little bit later than usual, that is not a
problem, but if you notice that your child
misses several mile stones, ask the doctor to
make sure there is no developmental delay.
A parent of an autistic child told me that
his child, at age 2, had completely normal
development, and then suddenly lost most of his
vocabulary. He thought that this was unusual,
and talked to the doctor. Even though the doctor
did not see a reason for concern, he still had a
feeling that something went wrong. He insisted
on getting his child assessed, and as a result
started getting his child diagnosed with Autism
and treatment started very early. His child is
doing just fine, he reported.
"The first sign that triggers me to think
that something might be wrong, is repetitive
behavior", says Tamar Apeloig, an applied
behavior analyst and a child
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