Bayley Assessment

[thereonthestair]

My Ds had a 2 year assessment yesterday. I don't have a report from it yet, but I am left wondering quite what the point of it was, and what other people's experiences of this assessment have been in the past. Now I know that the NHS must think there is some benefit, and that they otherwise wouldn't do it. I also know we are being included in a research study about how good follow up is of ex prems and whether the assessment is any better than any other test so clearly this is being looked at.

Now I am perfectly happy to accept that I am a stroppy so and so, and naturally sceptical about everything, and maybe I am being so about this too. I also do not believe in pyschometric tests or IQ tests as markers of anything other than how good you are at tests at all, and spend a lot of my working life looking at this stuff. However I would like to think I was open to persuasion.

However ds did the assessment standing up doign the puzzles etc against a table. And seeing as he can't independently stand I wonder whether this is akin to my typing this post with one hand tied behind my back. But he wouldn't sit but then again he is two so maybe that's all you need to say. However the people testing said that he was effectively making it hard for himself as he would have to concentrate of standing and not falling (which he didn't do - he has CP so we know all about the gross motor issues)

Then there was a test with a crayon and drawing. DS draws but we needed to tell the paeds to give him a pen as he doesn't like crayons as much as pens.
When he did he was fine but before then, would he do anything no.

Afterwards they told us that some 2 year olds refuse to do anything and cry all the time. Some do some tests and run off. Some decide they are bored, and some like DS tell the person testing to "go away" right in the middle of a discussion about hwether he can join two words together. Some cling to their parents and very few work through the puzzles. (and those that do tend to be girls!).

They also did various standard comprehension things. DS wasn't playing but to be fair the paeds starting saying to each other he looked straight at the book/cup etc when they asked him to before pretending to be shy.

Anyway I just wondered whether overall this assessment had anything to offer not just us, but more widely. I am all for early intervention but it seems so odd to test a two year old when they want to be a tow year old. (separately we also had a discussion about DS hearing which was useful, but they told us that they thought we would have no chance of testing that accurately at this stage purely becuase DS was a very wilful 2 year old). They also told us DS was clearly both sociable and willful. I told some friends this and the response was a bit well he was born at 29 weeks and he has you as a mum of course he's wilful!

This is really interesting - DD has hers in just a few months time and I am dreading it because apparently you can't tell the child what to do, she is also a curious character but very determined and the idea of sitting her down and making her do certain activities when she hasn't chosen to do them makes me think that the assessors will not get any useful information at all.

I know she can do certain things (like scribble or stack cups) but she does them once and moves on, she isn't a performing monkey and she doesn't take kindly to strangers either.

We also know she has delayed expressive language, but come on guys she isn't two yet and the nursery she attends say that she isn't unusual in her speech development - they should know as they won a national award for their work in encouraging and supporting speech development.

So. to anser your question. no. I don;t think the test will tell us anything we don't already know. However I do intend using any 'results' as evidence for further support if its required. God knows we don't get any at the moment.

I have been told off the record by health/child care professionals that one of the reasons for the two year check is to check on the health and welfare of the child. If a child isn't at nursery/ attending childminder etc then they may not have been seen by any professional since birth.
When we had our's the hv made various comments on how nice it was to see lots of children's books lying around. I'm sure it's one of the things they mentally tick off their list.

It's also to check on things like speech delay. My hv told me that the two year checks are now done closer to two and a half as they were finding they were referring lots of children for SALT at two but by leaving it an extra six months, many children had 'caught up' so helping to reduce the SALT waiting lists.

They also check for things like possible asd markers - joint attention, symbolic play etc.

Everyone I've spoken to had a different experience at their's - some were done at home, some in a group with other kids at nursery. The dc were all asked to do different tasks - brush dolly's hair, stack cups, scribble on some paper. There doesn't seem to be a set list of things they ask them to do.
I think it's more to assess if there are obvious developmental delays which will then be referred on.

And they let parents/carers know about the free 15 hour nursery place scheme for 3 year olds which I guess some people may not be aware of.

I'm not the biggest fan of hv but I can see the reasons why they do the two year checks.

I may have got confused - we won't have ours done by HV team but by the paediatricians and edu psych as well as OT and physio being present.

Two year checks are usually done by hv's but if you're already 'in the system' then it sounds like it may be different for you.

My ds is currently being dx with asd and I was dreading mine as he is so far away from what nt 2.6 year olds can do. I explained it to the hv and she was quite kind to me and said in that case she wouldn't run the check as it would have upset me and we just had a chat about how I was coping with it all. And to make sure I was being seen by all the right people.

I think she had to physically see him just to tick him off her list.

We've unfortunately been 'in the system' since a doctor made a bad call during my labour and my child was brain damaged. But yes, we will have it done for slightly different reasons.

2-year check ups? do they really exist? we only get a short form with a handful of boxes to tick in the mail

we are also in the system and so ours was done by a paed at the cdc.

because the system sucks... maybe that's why we are also doing the research study!

My twins both had the Bayley test done yesterday. They are nearly two years and 5 months, but we're born at 23 weeks.

You can imagine how chaotic it was trying to do this test with twins in a tiny, hot room, but I did find it quite interesting. My children did pretty much as I expected but it still smarted a bit to hear they are delayed.

Our consultant seemed to mark my twins as being able to do something when they clearly couldn't, eg they had to copy a horizontal line. They absolutely cannot copy anything, and it's actually a fluke when they even get the pen the right way round to draw with, but because one scribble on the paper looked vaguely like a line, they got a point for it. I suspect their real scores should be even lower than what they got, iykwim.

Mine scored about 20 months of age in cognitive and language areas, and only 16 months in gross motor ability. Not really a surprise as they don't really run, can't jump, can't balance on one leg, can't walk up or down stairs etc.

The consultant told me that there is no need for any intervention of any kind despite them seeming a long way behind their peers, and to always expect them to be slightly slower than other children based on yesterday's results. He was a little surprised at how far behind they are cognitively, but I'm not sure he is remembering how premature they are/were. I'm pleased with how well they are doing when I think back two years ago to my tiny babies weighing 1lb who weren't even expected to survive til birth.

it's interesting that they gave you a report/score etc. I have no real idea how DS did. I don't know if the horizontal line DS got a point for or not. He drew it though so long as he got the pen not a crayon! I guess that is in part the point of my post though. how do they really think this is valuable when it is based on snapshot.

And as for gross motor 16 months seems odd as they don't say delayed there unless they can't walk until they are 18 months (believe me I know that one inside out and backwards given the CP) which again is what makes me wonder as the physio does all the gross motor testing for DS.

I guess I should just think oh well all children are different