Got intervention?

There were so many wonderful questions submitted this past Sunday at Mamapalooza, Make sure you keep checking back for your answers!  

Congrats to Laura G. on winning the Outmat from GoBaby.com!

Congrats to Micheline S. on winning Lori Sunshine's book, "I'm Not Really Tired"

I’ll begin this week with one question from a concerned parent, “What are some of the reasons for gross (large) motor skills delays in babies?”  I would like to broaden the question by asking “Why are so many children in need of intervention services, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, play therapy and speech?”

Heredity and other familial connections aside, the short answer is the early childhood specialists are better at diagnosing these delays.  They realize that the earlier children are treated the better the chances of them adapting to therapy more readily and the treatments will be more effective.  As well, school standards have more expectations from young children.  The longer answer gets a bit more complicated.  An early intervention physical therapist shared with me that researchers are also looking at environmental factors and even stress during pregnancy as playing some role in children with developmental delays.  

Think back to when we were kids; do you remember the weak kid? The uncoordinated kid?  The kid that never communicated their ideas in a way that made sense?  The extraordinarily, painfully shy kid? The kid that had tons of quirks that stopped him from participating in regular activities?  Well, we now know how to help those kids and we can detect which children might have these issues very early and prevent or minimize the delays so children can feel successful in the school years.  

It is important to keep in mind that children develop differently and in many cases children will catch up depending on how severe the diagnosis.  Take a look at the NYC Department of Health’s Check List for Growing Children http://www.health.state.ny.us/publications/0527/.  Though it contains a list of milestones for each age, the intent is not to drive you nuts when your child is missing a few of these milestones (give approximately 3 months for each age for your child to reach a milestone).  You may want to look for help when your child is not catching up and milestones are consistently being missed.  Depending on your pediatrician, some over-diagnose and some under diagnose.  Be your child’s best advocate and if you suspect something, get them evaluated.  Remember, with a prescription, these services are FREE to New York State residents.  These services vary state to state. 

Accepting that your child may have a problem in their development can be hard.  Some parents deal with it by telling everybody and some are so ashamed they tell no one.  A few tips: 

-A delay is just that, a delay. Many children can overcome them with therapy and time.

 -A delay does not have to define your child.  Celebrate who your child is and not what they are currently unable to do. 

-If you choose to tell others it may not be necessary to tell every person you meet that “She’s in therapy.”  Find a small supportive group to tell and don’t make it the focus of your conversations and certainly not in front of your child.  

-If your child has aged out of the Early Intervention Services program (3 years of age), look for hospital settings that might take your health insurance. 

-Educate yourself and ask questions.  Learn how to provide your child with the exercises and materials they will need to be successful.

“Every stage, good or bad, ends”