Need help as not sure if over reacting?

[Lucypoops21]

Hi, my 26 month old has been tested at nursery using the Wellcomm system, they have tested him multiple times and keep saying he is a red? The things they are saying he doesn’t do, I know he does as he does them with me. I am getting so upset and frustrated I just wanted someone else’s opinion please? He is my first born so I don’t have anything to compare too I’m just finding it quite upsetting. I have his parents evening next week so I am thinking of requesting no more tests?

Have you spoken to your health visitor about it?

What things specifically?

Sometimes parents can think a child is doing something they aren't actually doing. Differences in perception and parents wanting a child to be able to do something can mean parents over estimate a child's ability. Sometimes children do different things in different environments and that could be what's happening.

It’s not “testing” though, it’s just observing and recording which nurseries have a duty to do. Often the health visitor care of LA’s is done in nursery settings.
If he’s scoring low on many things they are in his best interests to let you know, if he’s not doing certain things enough it’s a red flag, equally if he can speak at home but not at nursery it’s also a red flag.
All of these things are done to monitor your child and help all children success with targeted and early intervention. I’m not sure why you’re getting so worked up about it.
The nursery will also have a lot more experience of what’s typical behaviour and development for a child if a certain age, so I really wouldn’t dismiss them so easily.

Try not to stress OP. Your DS won't realise that it's a "test" or that he's "failed". It's best to let them carry on with their system, because then they'll spend extra time with him to help him improve. It's normal for him to behave differently at nursery than with you. Try not to get upset about this.

I can understand why you feel upset, but they sound like they are working to support your DC’s development. They will have more experience of different children’s development and have flagged up a few concerns to help your child with additional support.
Obviously such tests are only an indication and may not show the full picture as you believe DC is meeting the test criteria in the home environment but if this is not happening whilst at nursery there may be a need to explore why that is.
Use the meeting to explore the issues, and try and be open-minded. Early intervention can be helpful if needed.
I was very distressed when my DS’s nursery identified the need for speech therapy when he was 4, I hadn’t noticed at all as I was able to understand what he was saying to me. A few sessions of therapy sorted out his speech patterns and he is now an adult with a high-powered career.

When I've had drastically different observations compared to a parent, I've suggested the parent send videos. If you know your child uses words in context, or understands simple instructions, or whatever the nursery is not seeing them do, record them and send it as an observation on Tapestry or whichever app they use, or via email. It's really helpful.

Please try not to think of it as "testing". They're concerned about your child and want to offer the best support possible. Wellcomm is extremely well regarded as a system for identifying potential speech and language difficulties early.

I believe Wellcomm is a speech and language screening tool rather than a test?
Are they saying he has a language delay?

If I were you I'd speak to your health visitor and request a hearing test and a referral to a speech therapist. Waiting lists can be very long so you're best to get on them early.

Hi OP, part of my job is to go to nurseries and train them in doing WellComm screens. Though it’s a screen rather than a test, children could feel they are being tested and it is possible to have typically developing children score red in the wellcomm simply because they are shy on the day.

However, there is absolutely no harm in referring a child to speech therapy for a more in depth assessment. A speech therapist might decide on meeting your son that he doesn’t need any support, but if he does then better to have it as early as possible.

Nursery will not be able to refer him to speech therapy without your consent. Please don’t worry or feel stressed about it. A high proportion of children score red or amber in the wellcomm, what it’s really good at is picking up children who might otherwise go under the radar, which is good because most of these children flourish with just a bit of extra support.

It might be that nursery just want to do a bit more targeted language support with him. Again this support will do no harm even if he doesn’t need it, it will be things like stories, rhymes, talking tables, and lots of modelling language through play. Good stuff for all children!

Definitely chat to them at parents evening and see what they are suggesting. You can of course ask for no more wellcomm screens if you are worried that it is distressing for him but it is a very helpful tool. Feel free to DM me if you have any more questions.

Okay, my nursery has recently started using this (where I work)

I recently assessed a child who’s 19 months and it put him in the age bracket 6-11 months which is ridiculous. The questions to ask are odd, and it depends on the environment and what mood the child is in. For example you give them some props and ask them to follow simple instructions, such as ‘can you put the keys on the plate?’ Or ‘can you brush the teddy bear with the brush?’

This child wouldn’t do any of the questions asked and just stared at me blankly. He’s very intelligent and not behind what so ever from what I’ve observed on a daily basis

Take it with a pinch of salt and understand it’s just a tick box for the nursery.