27 month review

[Newmum102]

So my little boy had his 27 month review the other day and the HV (not our usual) made a few comments that made me think twice about a few things.

First she passed comment about him putting things in his mouth - a dinosaur and a piece of string type thing. She had asked if he usually does this and I said well he has a comforter at night that he puts in his mouth and that when he teeth’s he puts his hand in his mouth. She then said she would mention this to our regular HV.

Secondly she said he seems quite particular about things. He was asked to build a tower, and instead he lined all the blocks up, matching up the colours etc. She asked if he did things like that at home, and again I said oh yes. He likes to line toys up in order of size or colour.

Thirdly she also asked if he often swipes toys of the table with his arms. At this point, he had been in there for half an hour, he was clearly getting to that point of needing a nap, and he just didn’t want to play any more.

Other than that she said he’s quite bright, very chatty and so on. But I can’t help but play what she said over in my mind. She wants him to come back for another review in a few months with our regular HV. Other then his weight we’ve never really had any other issues. Nursery hasn’t mentioned anything of the sorts and as far as we are concerned he’s a happy and bright 2 year old.

Please tell me I am just overthinking and that I have nothing to worry about. We’ve also taken his comforter away from him tonight and I just can’t shake the comment

I think people are too quick to try and look for things and put labels on things and put people in boxes especially young children but if you haven't noticed anything wrong until this person said these things then it's probably nothing.

As for putting things in his mouth it could be teethng or just a normal comfort thing. And the size colour thing is that not just an intelligence thing.

Remember the HV is not a doctor.

The HV is only seeing a snapshot of your DS and checking up on him again does no harm. Mostly you can't get help when you want it, so just go with it.

The lining up thing sounds really clever. Most toddlers go through phases of enjoying certain repetitive games, so it could be nothing but lining up can be a sign of autism.

The mouth thing is probably she is looking if he puts things in his mouth for sensory simulation.

My DS has had his quirks and obsessions. I've worried about the common red flags of ASD but he is who he is. Most things turned out to be phases of his learning. It's good to be aware, but try to just enjoy him.

HV's tend to worry (in many cases for no reason) when certain actions don't fall within an average development path as meeting milestones too fast is equally as concerning as not meeting them on time. If there are no other concerns then that behavior, to me, just sounds like a personality trait (he likes to tidy, and order things - not uncommon in some toddlers) and does not sound concerning. If there were other concerns, like weak gesturing like no pointing to share interests, no nodding, weak social referencing, etc then those behaviors could be potentially concerning.