What is a development assessment?
A developmental assessment is a structured evaluation of all of your child's developmental skills — physical, language
, and emotional. Your child's pediatrician or the director of his preschool or daycare center may request such an evaluation, and a developmental assessment specialist, or a team of professionals that can include a pediatrician, audiologist, child psychologist, and child psychiatrist, among others, conducts it.
Since every child is different, the development specialists will tailor your child's assessment to his age and suspected problem or delay. A 3-year-old's assessment, for example, is likely to evaluate his ability to perform more tasks than a 12-month-old's would, and an evaluation looking mainly at motor skills may examine more closely the way your child grasps a toy than how he plays with it. When you arrive for the appointment, be prepared to answer a host of detailed questions
about your child's growth, movements, behavior, play, and interactions with family members and the rest of the world. Give as much information as you can — no one knows your child like you do. Also, depending on which skills may be delayed, your child will undergo a series of tests that may include a physical exam and hearing and eye screenings. The specialist or team will also observe how your child plays and how he performs certain age-appropriate tasks. Your child's behavior and performance during these activities will help establish areas of strength and weakness.
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