My first portrait

This is the picture Miss J drew of me during her speech therapy today.  Is it weird that I almost started crying?  Maybe.  But she did so well today and has really been speaking so much more lately.  It is a relief to know that she will be ok after finding out that she was delayed.  In fact her therapist said if Miss J were tested today she might not qualify anymore.  So now I can worry about Little Man.  He has me worried lately.  Fifteen months and now new words in months and he has stopped using the words he used to have. 

Looking for an explanation as to why both my children are having speech issues I have of course stumbled on scary words.  Autism, Lead poisoning, etc.  However, the good news of today is that there is help!  Miss J's speech therapist bemoaned the fact that most people wait far too long to get their kids tested for possible developmental delays.  Many times we wait for a Dr. to notice and refer us, or for relatives to say something. 

With Miss J, I worried for months that she wasn't up to speed.  But every time I filled out a development questionaire she fell within the normal range, and the pediatrician only asked how many words she had.  However Jane still wasn't communicating and didn't seem to understand me.  So I finally just called and got her tested.  What do you know? She had a significant delay in cognitive development and receptive language!  Her therapist said it is subtle, and hard to put your finger on and could have easily gone undiagnosed and Miss J would just have been "behind" or "slow".  Now she is up to speed and can talk to me!

Little Man is going to be tested next. I'm not going to wait for someone else to agree with my worries.  I'm the Mom, and I am in tune with what my kids need.  And this way, he can get help, because there is lots of good help out there!

So here is the point of this post.  Follow your instincts.  There is no shame in getting your kids tested for developmental delays, and there is no shame in having a child with a delay.  Don't waste anymore time worrying about something that can be addressed now!