going to Dev Ped....

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-16-2005
going to Dev Ped....
8
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 7:01am

We have an appt this week to see a very good dev ped (had the appt for a year now) -
I was wondering what to expect at this appt. Will the just observe here - or will they ask 100 ques too? My worry is that they will JUST observe - and when my DD (22 months)is in a new enviornment with new toys - she will be all over the place playing and pretty excited - so it might be hard for them to really interact with her. SHe also might not use all of her words ( about 60-70) Not to mention the appt is during her nap time ( again, made it a year ago).

Also, what if she is having an off day - and not her usually happy, affectionate self? What if she has the worst day and they diagnose her because of that? KWIM?

Anyway - what can I expect this appt to be like - I am very nervous.

Her teachers ( EI) all say she will not be dx with anything - but I have my suspicions
(obviously)
thanks again so much
Beth

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 8:03am

a thorough appointment should include observation and questioning of parents. they should ask if today's appointment is a good representation of her typical behavior. there shouldn't be an abundance of toys all over the place. their toys are likely specifically placed to see what catches her eye. and they won't just watch her play, they will probably try to get her interact, watch her eye contact, watch the way she plays with toys. they told me not to interact with her at first to see how my son did.

you might want to bring along a toy or two for the wait, a snack, a drink, anything that may help.

GL, valerie

~Valerie
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 10:07am

I was interested to read your post because we, too, have an appointment with a developmental ped coming up in November. They told us that we should leave an hour for the appointment, which I fear will be difficult for DD -- she tends to get drained very quickly in situations like that. Plus, the opening they have is from 11-12, and the closer it gets to lunchtime, the more likely DD is to completely crash. So we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping that, since the developmental ped is used to seeing kids like DD, he'll be able to interpret her behavior correctly, KWIM?

Anyway, I hope you'll post again after the appointment to let us know how it went etc... I hope it goes well!

Jennifer

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 12:46pm

I have never been to a developmental ped for diagnosing (though we have one as our regular pediatrician) so I am not sure exactly how your evaluation should go, but this would be my thoughts.

1. Every diagnostic and new doctor appointment I have been to with my kids for thier needs includes a complete history. This gets old. You may want to bring notes with you if you have any for first words, milestones, etc.

2. Some sort of physical (this is medical doctor specific, but even psychiatrists take a weight every time). At the neuro appts. I would go to they took height, weight, checked reflexes and would do a simple screening by asking the kids questions, getting them to build blocks, that sort of thing. May try to interact with them and see what thier response is.

3. Will ask you about what your concerns are and ask you questions about her behaviors and skills.

Then often they give me thier impression, any referrals for further testing or lab work or to another specialist, recomendations for what I should do next, and sometimes a perscription if they felt one was neccessary.

Good luck

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 1:17pm

Beth,

Like Renee, we didn't see a developmental ped for an eval either. We went to a neuropsychologist. I was worried too, what if he's having an off day...what if he decides to hide all his tendencies and act "normal" LOL

Nathan's appt was divided up into 2 appts....his first visit took longer than expected. This was because they found him to be so interesting, they wanted more time with him. LOL

Anyway, I waited in the waiting room, they watched him, spoke with him, played some "games" with him, and just really observed how he responded and how he behaved. They definitely knew what to look for. They did not even hesitate telling me that he was autistic. Of course, I had to wait a couple of weeks for that "official" report!!! They didn't let me know right away. There were 2 doctors involved and they had to compare notes, etc.

Nathan was able to tell me that he was "tired" when he was done. He wasn't able to tell me everything that they did or what they talked about. But the dr did let me know how Nathan had responded to certain situations.

Stressful situations, bring out Nathan's tendencies. If he wasn't autistic, the stress of being "evaluated" would not have bothered him. If my NT son, had been given the same eval.....he would've been a little shy at first, not knowing strangers, but then he would've had a grand ol time playing!!!! LOL

If your dd is on the spectrum.....the dr won't have any trouble seeing it, especially if the dr is very knowledgeable about autism.

Good luck.....(and I brought snacks and a drink for him too! I knew it would be exhausting!)
Michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-16-2005
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 1:27pm

Hi,

Gosh - I hope they don't try evaling her w/o me there - she would NOT have that. She would be very upset to be in a strange place w/o me, she would just cry mama mama.and they would get nothing accomplished. I don't have to be sitting right with her - but she will want to make sure she can see me and come to me if she needs to, she is not even 2 yet - -

Avatar for cathby
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2003
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 2:12pm

Oh, no, I am sure they will let you be there with her. They will also want to see how DD interacts with you.

At my 1st appt. I also brought a list of DS' milestones and the ages he reached them. Also a short note (a psych does the eval and the dev. ped watches the tape) -- for her about what therapies he is currently getting, what our areas of concern are, what we are looking for from her (dx., recommendation on treatment, etc.)

You have to remember that these professionals have seen EVERYTHING behavior-wise. They are used to kids without naps, kids in new surroundings, etc. Do what you can to make it a good experience for DD (snacks, etc.) and then just roll with it. If it's not her typical behavior, you can tell them that.

HTH,
Cathy

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 6:54pm

Beth,

Sorry! I didn't mean to freak you out!!! Anyway, a developmental ped appt might be different from the appt that we had. And also, Nathan was 4 at the time....and old enough to understand that I'd be in the waiting room. The dr we saw wanted to see how Nathan responded without my presence. Sometimes children respond differently when parents are present. He said that if he needed me, that he would come out to get me.

You could always call and ask inadvance about the appt, so that you can be better prepared. I am surprised that they didn't already give you all of that info. I was given all the info prior to the appt.

Michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-16-2005
Mon, 10-03-2005 - 7:15pm

Hi -

Don't worry - I get freaked ot pretty easily - LOL!

I think they gave me the info - but I made the appt like forever ago - I forgot. Anyway, I was able to e-mail the Dr and she actually e-mailed me back. She said I will be in the room - and they will be asking DH and I tons of questions, and watching her play - so , we shall see.

She had a really good day today - lots of talking and pointing and affection - -- -love days like today : )