Survey says...Delayed!

I have been filling out an online version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire every once in a while for about a year now. I do it to check what G is supposed to be doing from month to month. It's less stressful than some of the other tests and it is designed to be completed by parents. G really loves doing the items on the tests. It's a fun little bit of playtime for both of us.

I typically exclude the gross motor section because I know it would show a delay. I was feeling pretty confident this past time though, so I filled it out. I mean, he was discharged wasn't he? They said he was age-appropriate at about 18 months. So, I got to that section and started filling it out. At the first question/statement, I knew we were in trouble.

My child runs easily, stopping and starting smoothly, changing direction and rarely falling. Yes, Sometimes, No.

Ummmm...my child doesn't run at all? He also does not go up or down stairs on his feet while holding the railing. He does not climb onto the couch. There are toddlers his age who do this stuff? I was not surprised when I got the survey back and it said that perhaps I should call early intervention.

I find myself racking my brain trying to remember what M could do and when. She was certainly no star, but I think she was running by now. A slow run, to be sure, but a run all the same. But he climbing on the couch thing was very late for her too. Our ped expressed some astonishment that she could speak in multi-word sentences but could not get on the couch.

It's amazing to me that I am going to write this, but I am not worried. To paraphrase one of my friends, "He walks, he talks, he's fine." We'll see how I feel at the end of the summer, but for now I am not calling early intervention.