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by Evette Horton
Founder
Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mothers Club
Several months back, I wrote some articles entitled, "Is this
Normal?" These articles aimed to help parents understand the ups and downs of average
child development. But what is a family to do if they still have questions about their
child? What if your child's preschool or daycare has questions or concerns about your
child?
In the last "Is this Normal" article, I said that one of the
first places to start is your child's pediatrician. It's their job to observe your child's
development. However, a pediatrician is not able to do a full assessment of all developmental
functions like speech, language, emotional/behavioral, social, fine/gross motor, and/or
cognitive abilities. So, your pediatrician may refer your family on for further assessment
via a private practitioner, or through Orange County Early Intervention services.
Now What?
As an example of the process, let's say you have concerns about
your three-year-old child's speech and language development. Your mom thinks it is normal
three-year-old behavior; in fact, she says your brother did the same thing when he was three,
and he turned out OK. Maybe even your pediatrician thinks your child will grow out of it,
but you still have your doubts. What do you do?
If you decide to get an evaluation, you can hire a private
speech therapist. You can simply look in the phone book for one, and you could also ask
if friends have any recommendations.
Before you make an appointment with a speech therapist, check
what insurance they accept and also check with your insurance company to see what they
will cover. Health Insurance will often cover these evaluations, but not always.
There are also no cost options for your evaluation.
All parents should know that there is a Federal mandate
that allows parents with children Birth – 5 years to receive an assessment or evaluation
at no cost to the family. This law is also called "Public Law IDEA."
Because of this Federal mandate, Orange County has a whole
system of services available. The best place to start if you have ANY questions about
local services is by placing a free call to Yvonne Upshur, RN, at the Orange County
Health Department at 919-245-2429. She can help answer your questions and point you
in the right direction. She knows about ALL the services in our area and surrounding
areas.
To continue with our 'parent with a speech concern' example
from above, Yvonne would talk with you about your concerns, perhaps send you a list
of local Speech/Language therapists, or refer you to a local (either private or
community) agency for an assessment. Obviously, her answers would depend upon the needs
of your child and family.
Isn't It Too Early For This?
Why do pediatricians, counselors like me, Yvonne, and even
the Federal government want to pay attention to children in these early, Birth - 5
years?
Because early intervention works! Studies have shown
that children make huge gains when they are given support in these early years. Remember
that your child's brain is growing at a tremendous rate. In fact, your newborn's brain
is about 25 percent of its approximate adult weight. By age three, it has grown
dramatically by producing billions of cells (neurons and other brain cells) and hundreds
of trillions of connections between these cells (synapses)
(see www.zerotothree.org). I believe early
intervention works with the brain's development to help make connections in these
neurons! Therefore, any help given in these early years, can be extremely beneficial.
So, our worried parent now can get some answers about her
concerns for her three year old. Maybe the parent will find out that her child does not
need services right now, or maybe he/she will get some needed help for the child.
The important point is to trust yourself, talk with others
about your concerns, and take advantage of our wonderful local resources. I never want
any mom or dad to sit at home and feel worried about their child. Help is available.
Questions can be answered.
Posted May 2006
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