Many of you who read this got to see us in the last few months, either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. If so, you were most likely charmed by that sweet toddler who tends to be on his best behavior around new people. You got to hear him chatter away endlessly about topics that none of us quite understood.
That chattering--and lack of comprehension on our part--has actually been a concern to Matt and me. We may not spend much time with other 2-year-olds, but we recognized that Patrick's speech patterns are anything but normal. His few favorite phrases are spoken as if they are single words and convey very little about his needs, much less his wants (other than going somewhere and bedtime). I've heard much younger children, even 18-month-olds, can string together several words to communicate whole ideas to their parents. Patrick hasn't been anywhere close to that.
If I mentioned this to the doctor, he repeated what I'd heard so often, that all children develop at their own pace and we shouldn't worry. That never helped. Finally at Nathan's four-month appointment last month, I brought up the concern yet again, adding a little more detail about why I was concerned. Finally he listened and referred us to someone who could help,
Early Childhood Intervention.
They came over yesterday to do their official evaluation of Patrick to determine whether he qualifies for services. There was no hesitation on their part: he does. They graded him in several different areas to determine what age level he falls into in those different areas. He was right on target in the physical ones and ahead in social (I know--I don't get it either). The ones of concern are what they call cognitive, where he's at about a 19-month level, and of course, language, where he's anywhere from 12 months to 18 months and closer to the lower levels probably. That's much farther behind than I expected to hear. But on the bright side, he will be getting help to get caught up. In a way, it's good to hear that my motherly instincts were dead-on.
Regardless of any delays on his part, though, that doesn't change who Patrick is. Whether or not I can understand what he's trying to say, he will still be the same sweet, funny, and apparently uber-social little boy I've loved for the last two-plus years.
That chattering--and lack of comprehension on our part--has actually been a concern to Matt and me. We may not spend much time with other 2-year-olds, but we recognized that Patrick's speech patterns are anything but normal. His few favorite phrases are spoken as if they are single words and convey very little about his needs, much less his wants (other than going somewhere and bedtime). I've heard much younger children, even 18-month-olds, can string together several words to communicate whole ideas to their parents. Patrick hasn't been anywhere close to that.
If I mentioned this to the doctor, he repeated what I'd heard so often, that all children develop at their own pace and we shouldn't worry. That never helped. Finally at Nathan's four-month appointment last month, I brought up the concern yet again, adding a little more detail about why I was concerned. Finally he listened and referred us to someone who could help, Early Childhood Intervention.
They came over yesterday to do their official evaluation of Patrick to determine whether he qualifies for services. There was no hesitation on their part: he does. They graded him in several different areas to determine what age level he falls into in those different areas. He was right on target in the physical ones and ahead in social (I know--I don't get it either). The ones of concern are what they call cognitive, where he's at about a 19-month level, and of course, language, where he's anywhere from 12 months to 18 months and closer to the lower levels probably. That's much farther behind than I expected to hear. But on the bright side, he will be getting help to get caught up. In a way, it's good to hear that my motherly instincts were dead-on.
Regardless of any delays on his part, though, that doesn't change who Patrick is. Whether or not I can understand what he's trying to say, he will still be the same sweet, funny, and apparently uber-social little boy I've loved for the last two-plus years.
2 comments:
I love the pictures of Patrick, he is such a silly boy! I'm glad to hear Patrick is getting help with his speech. We will probably wonder why when he is talking our heads off!!
The picture of Matt and Patrick with their cell phones is so cute!
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