What is a developmental assessment
Developmental assessment is the process of mapping a child’s performance by comparing it with a standard . The standard is the average performance of children of similar age.
When should a child be referred for a developmental assessment?
When either the parents or a professional ( for example the teacher ) are worried that the child’s behaviour or skills are not typical for age. A good starting point is to believe parents and carers who are worried about a child and take their concerns seriously as they are often right .
Such concerns could be :
concerns about the way a child is behaving
concerns about ability to learn new skills for example learning to do things for himself
concerns about the way he or she moves or uses his or her arms or legs
concerns about how the child talks and understands what others say
A child not playing with toys as expected
A child that has stopped doing something he or she could previously do
A child that does not get along with others
How it works
The initial consultation aims to clarify the nature and extent of the developmental difficulties. Investigations (blood and urine tests, cranial imaging) may be arranged at this stage or later. The child may need to undergo assessments by other specialists ( speech and language , occupational therapy , educational psychologists ) before a diagnosis is reached and recommendations made .
Tools we use at Limassol Paediatric centre
Bayley developmental scales III
Schedule of growing skills II
Conner’s 3d
Raven’s coloured progressive matrices and vocabulary scales
Ages and stages questionnaires