7 month old ds has been referred for a 'Growth and Development Assessment' - what to expect...

[hazeyjane]

ds is 7 months old (he was premature, but not sure how early), and the health visitor has some concerns about his development, so is coming round to do a growth and development assessment and has referred us to a paediatrician at the hospital.

What sort of thing should I expect? Feel a bit wobbly about it all.

Thankyou.

My ds has these every 6 months. The paed looks at him with a concerned look on her face, asks about his diet and what he can do etc., tests his reflexes, pulls him about so she can see his neck strength and muscle tone and generally prods him. He got referals to dietician and hearing tests which lead to a referal for speech therapy.

Thankyou, for replying. Can I ask how old he was when they started doing them, and why?

He was ill when he was born and we were told it was likely that he would have CP so he was refered to a consultant pretty much straight away who specialises in CP. At first he went every few weeks and he had some characteristics such as clasped hands, general poor muscle tone, poor feeding (due to weak sucking) but no one sided weakness. He has now changed from possible cerebral palsy to global development delay.

We had these on a regular basis until dd was 2 for similar reasons to MrsAlanKey's ds as my dd had a possibility of developing CP.

Alongside physical checks as described above there were also cognitive checks to ensure her development was on schedule e.g. speech, understanding, play etc. We were told she had to be at least 2 months behind in more than one area for further referrals e.g. Portage (she has always had physio).

What aspects of his development was the HV worried about?

Thankyou, they are concerned because he has shown no interest in food, he seems to still have the tongue thrust reflex, he doesn't reach for objects and rarely grasps or holds onto things, he doesn't roll or sit and doesn't hold himself up very well if sitting in a high chair.

Hazey - my dd wasn't rolling or sitting unaided at 7 months but she was just about doing both by 10 months. She couldn't hold herself up in a highchair and we had to prop her up with cushions until she was nearly 1 yr old. She had physio which has helped with her difficulties.

Hope all goes well with your assessment

Thankyou Lenin, we have two hv coming round tomorrow, one to discuss dd2's behaviour (see other thread!) in the morning and one to assess ds at lunchtime. It feels a little like d-day!

My worries about ds are like a rollercoaster, I have days where I look at him and think there is nothing wrong and I am just paranoid, and then other days where I feel this nagging worry in my stomach and things just don't seem right. I suppose this usually happens when we have been to a baby group or seen friends with babies a similar age (both of which I've started to avoid doing).

Thankyou for telling me about your dc's, MrsAlenKey and Smashingtime, it really helps to here from people who have been through this.

Good luck, you say that you have got a nagging worry so the assessment is a good thing to happen. Either your dswill be found to be nt which will reassure you or else, if the hv has any concerns, they will refer to make sure he gets the help he needs.

Just a quick update

Had ds's hv development assessment on Thurs, which wasn't so great. He showed no delays in 3 areas, delays (level of a 3 month old) in 4 areas (mostly physical) and significant delay (level of a 1 month old) in the area of motor skills, and seems to be lacking in muscle development. She has referred us to the hospital,and a dietician, so we shall wait and see.

Thanks again for posting your experiences, and support.