Two Year Review ASQ

[HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel]

I just had my son's two year review with the health visitor. He has a speech delay so I was expecting concerns to be raised especially in the communication section of the questionnaire.

He turned out to be on schedule for fine and large motor skills but in the 'grey' for communication, personal / social and for problem solving. I was always concerned about his speech but I wasn't worried about things like being able to put his coat on but now I'm wondering if I should be. Despite his language delay, I was relieved he wasn't in the 'black' for communication but this also means we're not offered any help. We are paying for private speech therapy anyway but more support would have been helpful.

How much should I worry about him being behind in three areas?

My DS has just turned 26 months old and the HV did the 27 month questionnaire on him which ranges 25 months and 16 days to 28 months and 15 days so he still at the early end of the age range. He was also three weeks early though I'm pretty sure that's not relevant any more.

I think there are going to be a lot of children behind on the communication and personal/social skills because they've missed out on a fair bit of socialisation time. What was the advice from the HV? Does he go to any childcare? Any concerns from them? It could just be the weird questions that were on the test - I remember her asking if DS would use a cup as a phone, and us being like "no of course not, he'd use something that looked like a phone" 🤷

Re the speech therapy, it's at least a 6 month wait for support here (I think the list is even longer now than then when we were on it last year) - we were in the black on DS' checklist and only got on the list at the stage we did because I'm incredibly pushy. If you're paying for support already you're not missing out on anything other than a unsatisfactory wait to be seen in my experience.

Putting on your own coat is not on that questionnaire. Have you looked at the questionnaire itself rather than what your HV asked?

@Wagglerock thank you for your response. Because he was in the grey area he's going to be monitored and reviewed again in three months.

We're about to start nursery so I'm hoping that will help.

I agree that's a weird question. My DS does pretend play with realistic props but not representational items. To be honest even if he was pretending a stick was a wand etc I wouldn't know because his speech isn't good enough.
Honestly I thought that representational pretend play was advanced but now I'm not sure what I should be expecting.

Other that than she suggested a community group that teaches parents to help their child speak but it's miles away (I don't have a car) and at an awkward time. I don't think it would be a huge help anyway as I've read every speech book under the sun, done an online course and I'm learning a lot from our weekly therapy. I have heard the wait for NHS speech therapy is ridiculous.

Hi @Fallagain yes I looked at the 24 month and 27 month questionnaire. The coat question is on the 27 month questionnaire. I've looked at both many times as I've been anxious about my DS.

I was expecting the 24 month one which my son would have done better on but at 26 months he just eeks on to the 27 month one.

The health visitor I initially spoke to said we would be doing the 24 month questionnaire but she was off sick and I had a different one who did the 27 month one. Obviously I raised this with her but she still did that one as technically it is the right one for his age.

That questionnaire is a bit odd. I'm sure my DD was fairly far behind according to it, but she never seemed behind in comparison with her peers (except speech, and she had a diagnosed disorder) and when she went to school she was on a par with, if not slightly ahead of, her year group.

I seem to recall it does ask about coats. My DS is in Reception and the teachers have remarked that its 'helpful' if kids can put their own coats on, so clearly even by 4 it isn't universal (not a deprived school/area). So it clearly isn't a universal skill at 2.

cdn.whitebearplatform.com/forwardsteps/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15133826/27-month-questionnaire-ASQ-3-1.pdf

Where is the question about the coat? I can’t see it.

@Fallagain

cdn.whitebearplatform.com/forwardsteps/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15133826/27-month-questionnaire-ASQ-3-1.pdf

Where is the question about the coat? I can’t see it.

It's under personal-social, can child put on a coat/shirt/jacket by themselves.

I wouldn't be too worried about a lot of that yet OP. You could see how much of the 24 month questionnaire is things he can do. Keep working on the speech, nursery may well improves the social-personal and communication areas anyway. It's early days and grey isn't significant delays, wait and see is likely to be a good approach at this age. So much development can happen in a couple of months.

@HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel if you're having another check up in a few months I'm sure you'll see loads of progress - I found 2-3 staggering in terms of how much my DS changed and learnt.

Re speech - DS only had 9 or 10 words/sounds at his 2yo check, by 2.5yo he had more words and some 2/3 word "sentences" and now at nearly 4yo you can't tell the difference with his friends (I'd actually say he was a bit ahead of some of them). For most children it comes along eventually but it's hard going when everyone else's kid is chattering away and yours doesn't.

@LunaAndHerMoonDragons thank you. Yes he does ok on the 24 months questionnaire. He's always been a bit behind and I'm really hoping nursery helps him.

@Wagglerock thank you! That's really good to know.

I found it. There is a technique where kids put the coat on the floor with the hood facing them and they put their arms in and then put the coat over their heads. I may teach DD2 it. Remember kids don’t need to be doing everything in each section.

Hi x any update please ?

I just had the 2 year review and my HV said they only use those questionnaires because they are cheap and to take them with a pinch of salt!

Hi there, I posted this thread three years ago. My son is now five and has completely caught up with his speech and language.