I know i worry a lot.

I know i worry a lot - sorry in advance for questions that some may find annoying.
my LOs were evaluated by EI because they dont yet crawl and they actually qualified. SINCE being evaluated, they've both pulled up and are doing well in regards to
moving around the house. i think it's because they now spend no time in their exersaucers.
the report said one of my LOs (the more serious of the two) scored below level in the social/emotional section of the Developmental Assessment of Young Children test. he scored an 83 and 'normal' is considered 85. she said he was very serious during the testing and although made eye contact, looked at the tip of her nose.

wth.
im just hoping maybe someone can just put my mind at ease. cant sleep. my DH is getting nervous and i will do anything to make sure they are ok.

thank you !!!! :grouphug:

 

From someone who has been through the EI evaluation process a few times(test them before services, test them when services are done)-don't worry! When they came to test the boys-the one they were working with-would not perform! The one who wasn't be evaluated-WOULD perform. So-I knew the things they could/couldn't do. But the evaluators have to evaluate them on what they SEE. And they take *some* of the info from the parents.

I remember when they were evaluated for speech. I knew exactly what they could/couldn't do. I told the person who was working on that part of the evaluation that Nicholas or Anthony could do _______________. It was like she didn't listen to me. They scored at a 7 month and 8 month level-at 18+ months old. I was not happy. But I knew once the therapist came and worked with us, she would get a better understanding of what my boys knew. And she did. They had speech for six months-and then were right on target with their peers.

I wouldn't worry about it. No one knows your kids better than you. They see them for such a small window of time-we can't expect our kids to perform with a snap of our fingers! LOL! And to be two points off-not bad at all. Remember-they are just numbers!

 

I haven't been through the process but I have to agree with Meaghan, if some stranger came up to my kids they would NOT be performing at their "normal". Heck my oldest dd wouldn't go near someone she didn't know until she was about 2 yrs old, she was super shy and large crowds literally scared the hell out of her. She hated anyone to even come in her "space" when she was younger. She was also the one that clung to her paci the longest because it was literally her safety net. When she started panicking, she wanted her sucky to comfort her.

She's now 3.5 yrs old and I can't get her to stop talking to strangers! :lol:

:hug: being a mommy is never ever going to be easy. You are always going to be making the hard decisions, and you are constantly going to be second guessing yourself. My best advice to you, trust your mommy gut, your mommy instinct. That little voice inside that tells you what's right/wrong with your kids. You will rarely go wrong if you trust your gut! :hug:

 

thank you
im just so uber-paranoid all the time that i get my instincts/paranoia confused and i think i convince myself that theres something wrong.

 

Both my boys were evaluated by EI for not yet crawling at 11 months (like yours!) and they also scored below average for the social/emotional part of the test. The OT and PT both told me to not even give it a second thought. They said, first of all, it is impossible to get an accurate social/emotional score on a child that age and second, the test is set up to score kids in a daycare setting, not at home (I don't know how that matters, but it is what they told me).

My 28 month olds are perfectly healthy, typical, social little boys. And they started crawling shortly after their EI eval!

Try not to worry about it any more! :hug:

 

I am a speech-language pathologist and, I have to say, props to you for staying on top of getting your LO's early intervention for their needs! There is so much research supporting early intervention as a means to getting little ones where they need to be. SO SO SO many kiddos get early intervention/OT,PT, speech services early on and (I'm speaking from a lot of experience) you would never know by the time they hit kindergarten age. The testing that most evaluators/therapists do is very standardized and as the PP's said- some is based upon observation and some is based upon parent support. In my professional opinion, I think you are MUCH better off to err on the side of getting therapy and not needing it than the other way around. All that being said, I have 3 week old twin girls and I feel like I am obsessive with making sure they are hitting their milestones- even this early. My poor babies must get tired of me trying to make sure they have appropriate eye contact and attachment at this age!! Bottom line, if you do not like your treating therapist(s) it is your right to locate someone that will support your LO's and your family in the way that you feel is best- with regards to rapport. All therapy should be "carryoverable" into your routine at home.. because you and your DH are the most important teachers that your children will ever know.. and.. as I always tell the parents of the kiddos that I work with: it doesn't make a damn bit of difference if I can get their child to do something in therapy if they can't carry it over into their natural environment. Your children will make the the best progress with a treatment program that is as hands on as possible for you...

Hugs.. I know how hard this is.. I'm with you on the worries! All I do is worry most days!!!

 

they qualified for PT. i am just always overly-worried about my quiet, LO. he gives me eye contact and he does smile and laugh with my DH and i he also laughs and giggles a lot with people outside our home. he is just a little more serious.
its so tough to not compare the two. my more serious one is my better mover - he pulled up first, started moving or squirming first...he just doesnt smile or giggle as much. his eye contact is there he just doesn't gaze into our eyes (LOL) like his brother.
:grouphug:
you ladies are wonderful. i appreciate the support and kind words. i had a serious break down last night after going to borders and reading WAY TOO MUCH about vaccines, autism, etc.

my LOs dont point yet. when i call their names a few times they turn but that of course freaked me out as well.

 

Hey don't apologize for asking questions or being worried about you LO, I'm a worrier too and it helps to just talk out your fears. I think it is good you are being proactive and getting them PT but I personally think your serious LO is most likely fine. One of my twins didn't like to make eye contact and the public health nurse had me all freaked out that she may have CP yes she said that, I asked my pedi about it and he was so upset with her that he called to give her a piece of his mind. She is 8 now and perfectly healthy, normal! Also my sister's little girl was a very serious baby, she would rather stare at the ceiling than at us and it was like pulling teeth to get her to smile/laugh and now she is a very happy, silly 2 year old. I think some babies are just more serious than others and my latest little guys seems to be that way too.

 

:grouphug: You sound like me... i wish I could say the worrying goes away. Once they master one thing I go on worrying about the next. I am a worrier by nature so I try to remind myself that it is me and not them. I think the push for ei and the benefits have aided in some parents craziness. I have actually taught ei so I am not saying it's not great...just that all this talk of autism etc is really making some parents (like us, the "worriers") to focus on the things they are not doing, rather than enjoying them and allowing them to develop on their own terms. I envy my parents and husband, who think I am nuts, and think my boys are adorable and brilliant. All i can focus on is what I think they should be doing :angry: That being said, your son sounds fine!! Everyone is right that at 11 months (heck for a while) they are just so unpredictable and people who evaluate are just getting a snap shot. He does have eye contact because you yourself have acknowledged that he socially smile often at Dad and even strangers. Coming from one worrier to the next...try to focus on the things he is doing and enjoy him while he is still a baby.

 

thank you for the last two replies.
i cant help but constantly stress and i wish i didn't!!! i hate it! i am beginning to enjoy them. sad that it took me almost a year. i felt that the whole year was marked by milestones and it stinks.

 

This is definitely not worry-worthy material. So he found the zit on her nose more interesting than her eyes--big deal! So he's a more serious baby--big deal! Every baby has a different personality--especially when meeting strangers--and he shouldn't lose points just because he acts like himself!