Professional Opinion

Spencer had his 18 month check-up yesterday. I know, I know he is almost 20 months. Partly this was my fault, I forgot to schedule his appointment but when I did remember the office couldn't squeeze him in for another month.

No shots this time. Spencer did really well although his room was freezing and he was required to be undressed the entire time. Poor little guy was shivering and felt it was necessary to pinch the doctor when she put her cold stethoscope on him.

When I checked in for his appointment I was handed some paperwork to fill out about Spencer's physical, social, and emotional development. I filled it out the best I could, tending to be conservative in my answers. One question I specifically remember asked if my child said 8 or more words. I only had a few minutes before his appointment and I could only think of 6 words off the top of my head, so I answered "no."

It was difficult to make an accurate assessment of Spencer's communication skills on the spot. As his mother I spend so much time with him making it nearly impossible to differentiate between his skill and my ability to understand him.

During our appointment the Doctor addressed Spencer's test results. She said he looks good in all areas except he is lacking in communication skills. He only scored a 40% which is still passing but just barely. She told me if he doesn't start improving in a month or two I should consider putting him through speech therapy.

Having my B.S. in Child Development allowed me to understand that the test and results were completely bogus and a waste of time. To get a more accurate reading of Spencer's skills we would need an outside observer to come and spend a few hours with him watching and documenting actual skills he performed.

For the rest of the day I listened for and noted actual words Spencer said. He has about 15 words under his belt. I guess that means he has improved and wont be needing therapy.