9 month review

[Itscurtainsforyou]

We've been invited to a development review - pre-12 months or 9 months they've called it.

Please can you remind me what kind of thing they're looking for?

My LO was premature and I'm aware he's a bit behind developmentally - just want to prepare myself for areas they may flag up.

Thanks

I remember they asked questions about diet and speech/babbling, tested his hearing (seeing how he responded to sounds), looked at his motor skills by watching him crawl and play with toys, and looked at whether he stood on tiptoes when he was held standing up.

The health visitor tore up a tissue and then rolled it into tiny balls, to see if he would be able to use his pincher grip to pick them up. He did, but then ate the balls.

I think they are supposed to factor in prematurity and so base the assessment on due date rather than birth date.

You also get a bag with some free books in it, and a leaflet about all the dangers babies can encounter in the home - at least I did, not sure if this varies by healthcare trust.

Thanks!
Sounds like there's going to be a lot of overlap with existing appointments - he already sees physio, speech & language , dietician & paediatrician.

Do you think there's any point keeping this HV appointment if we're being seen by others?

It wasn't that in-depth - I think the idea is to do a quick check to make sure there aren't any issues that have been missed. So from your perspective it sounds as if it might not add much. I'm not sure though, the paediatrician would probably be able to advise.