I have created these user friendly checklists in 5 areas of child development: Thinking, Language, Social, Moral & Physical. These checklists are an accumulation of a decade of my teaching experience, graduate level Child Psychology coursework, my interaction with Early Intervention services and raising three boys. These checklists will guide you to track your child's development & identify possible delays. DID YOU KNOW THAT... • there are 5 main areas of child development: Thinking, Social, Moral, Language and Physical? • each of the 5 main areas continues to develop from birth through adulthood? • every state has Early Intervention (EI) Services that can help your child if he or she has significant delays? • EI evaluations are free? Just call your state EI Service Center. A list of EI numbers referenced by state are in the index of this book. • this book was made to help you determine whether or not to make that call? This book will help you track development and identify potential delays. In a busy world of checklists, not chapters, this is the easy-read, go-to-guide, for monitoring Child Development.

Kids on Track Checklists

By Michele L. Fitzsimmons M. Theresa Bromley

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 One Sweet World, Inc.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-9211-9

Contents

Introduction......................................................1The Parts You Don't See — a short story.....................4How to Use This Book..............................................15Birth-3 months....................................................223-6 months........................................................276-12 months.......................................................331-2 years.........................................................392-3 years.........................................................473-4 years.........................................................554-5 years.........................................................655-7 years.........................................................747-11 years........................................................86Early Intervention Phone List.....................................97Acknowledgments...................................................99

Introduction

I decided to write this book because, when I needed it, I searched for it and could not find it.

When my son was 15 months old, I noticed that he wasn't really walking and said only the word "up" in reference to everything. What would any parent do? I looked for a book. Unfortunately, I could never find one that answered all my questions. I wanted to know specifically what behaviors and skills to look for at each age.

Having taken numerous psychology and education classes for my career development, I was familiar with the ages-and-stages theories from the major psychologists in the field. So I pulled out my textbooks and began referring to the developmental charts.

After realizing that my suspicions were valid and that my son was delayed in both language and physical development, I spoke with my pediatrician. He gave me the phone number for Early Intervention Services (EI) in my area.

So I called my local EI center, discussed my concerns, and was scheduled for an evaluation. My son was tested in three developmental areas: physical, educational, and language. Three different therapists came to administer the evaluation on three different days. These therapists were friendly, and my son thought he was "playing" during the sessions.

The results of the evaluations confirmed that my son was delayed in two area: physical and language. He would need to receive language services twice a week and physical therapy once a week. These services would be provided in my home with each session lasting 45 minutes, and all materials would be supplied by the therapists.

Naturally, I was nervous about having someone in my home, and about how my son would react to the therapists. But, to my surprise, he bonded with them immediately. They were personable and professional. It was like having a private teacher in my home while I took care of daily chores.

Within a few weeks, I saw improvements. He was using more sign language to communicate, his vocabulary grew, and he began to walk. By the time he was 3 years old, he tested out of early intervention and no longer required their services. Today, my son reads above his grade level and is age appropriate in all developmental areas. In my case, my son received the help he needed to get him where he is today.

Hence, the purpose of this book is to help parents determine if their child needs help and get the necessary assistance, but without the anguish I experienced. Having gone through this, I know that when you suspect your child has a delay, a lot of unpleasant emotions are involved: guilt, confusion, sadness, helplessness. It is important to realize that these feelings are normal and that resources are available, such as teachers, pediatricians, and now this book.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

• There are 5 main areas of child development: Thinking, Social, Moral, Language, and Physical.

• Each of the 5 main areas continues to develop from birth through adulthood.

• Every state has Early Intervention Services (EI) to help your child if he or she has significant delays.

• EI evaluations are free. Just call your state EI center. A list of EI numbers referenced by state is included in the index located at the back of this book.

• This book was written to help you determine whether or not to make that call.

Let's take a closer look at the five main areas of development, by reading the following short story, The Parts You Don't See.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Kids on Track Checklistsby Michele L. Fitzsimmons M. Theresa Bromley Copyright © 2010 by One Sweet World, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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