The Bottom Line
By Laurie LeComer; 280 pages. Subtitle: Recognizing and Coping With Missed Milestones in Speech, Movement, Learning, and Other Areas
Into that great gray area of worrying that something might be wrong with your child, but worrying that you might be worrying too much, this book shines like a searchlight. Explaining the different ways development can go awry and offering solid suggestions for assessing your child, it lets you know when you need to seek help, and when you just need to calm down.
Pros
- Nontechnical text is written at a parent's level
- Lots of forms and checklists to direct your thinking
- Gives information on a wide range of developmental issues
- Approach is non-alarmist but respectful of parents' observations
- "Test of Three" gives parents something specific to do
Cons
- Lots of "case study" stories, which some readers don't find helpful
- Interest limited to those with young children just being diagnosed
- You may only be interested in one or two sections
- You still have to convince your pediatrician to take you seriously
Description
- Part I: Unsettling Questions
Chapter 1: Am I Overreacting? - Chapter 2: What Do I Do If I Suspect My Child Is Not Developing Normally?
- Part II: The Search for Answers
Chapter 3: The Development and Disorders of Cognition - Chapter 4: The Development and Disorders of Speech and Language
- Chapter 5: The Development and Disorders of Social and Emotional Behavior
- Chapter 6: The Development and Disorders of Motor Systems
- Chapter 7: Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing Disorders
- Part III: Taking Action and Getting Help
Chapter 8: Getting Your Child an Evaluation - Chapter 9: Getting the Right Treatment
- Chapter 10: Moving Forward Successfully
Guide Review - Book Review: A Parent's Guide to Developmental Delays
Deciding what developmental delays are really signs of trouble and which are really signs of your child's own unique timetable is an enormous challenge for parents, especially when your pediatrician or your neighbor or your mother-in-law is telling you to relax and stop picking at every little thing. You don't want to overreact, but you also don't want to look back and think, "If only I'd heeded the signs. If only I'd gotten help sooner." Parents in that bind will benefit most from this straightforward and helpful book. After reading about various types of developmental delays, and filling out questionnaires, and observing your child for three weeks with particular goals in mind, you will have a stronger grasp on where your child is at and whether that's a problem. You will then be able to approach your pediatrician with solid information instead of vague suspicions.
Whether that gets you anywhere is another matter. I sometimes think doctors have a secret diagnosis of MRTM -- Mom Reads Too Much -- to designate those children whose parents come in with ideas of their own. LeComer does describe the ways in which you can do sort of an end run around your child's doctor and get an evaluation through your school system, and that may be helpful in getting your child at least informal assistance. Others may fret about your putting a label on your child, but with the guidance of this book, you can have some confidence that it's a necessary step.
