Take help!!

 

Let me present to you, some scenarios I commonly come across on a daily basis. Whenever a mother or father raises a concern over their child, who may seem to have a delay in development or a trait of some condition, it is most often brushed aside by the immediate family and friends. Most often these family members and friends have no medical background or experience in the related field, but they succeed in helping the concerned parent ignore the problem and unknowingly feed the damage which in turn grows uninterrupted, eventually hindering the child's development.

Take a look!

Parent #1:

My child eats a lot. He is always hungry and never seems to be full. He also bed-wets at night and he is already 7!! I'm worried. Who do you think I should see, a pediatrician or a general physician?

The grandma (hereby known as G):

He's a growing child. And boys eat a lot too. They need it for their bones and muscles. Oh, and the bed-wetting! Was the AC too strong? He must have had a nightmare. It's not a daily thing, is it? You're just panicking for no reason. He'll be fine!

The best friend (BF in short):

How can he not eat so much when you cook amazing food! Not his fault! And please don't embarrass him about the bed-wetting. You're just over reacting. He would have been cold or something. Didn't we all bed wet when we were small? It's a phase. He'll grow out of it.

The husband (referred to as H):

Can you stop worrying about every tiny thing? What are kids expected to do anyway, check the stock market updates?? I'm really busy now, have this report to submit. Can you go get yourself a coffee and chill?

The Therapist (T in short):

He seems to have a very good appetite, and it's very much possible he would be having bad dreams frequently, but just to be sure, could you come over so I could know him a little better? I feel he may have weak introception, which is an important part of his sensory system, which may be why he doesn't feel full when he has eaten enough, and doesn't sense that his bladder is full. I can help you.

Parent #2:

My daughter is too shy with strangers. She doesn't look at anyone in the eye, even us parents sometimes. She's always fiddling with laces and strings. She doesn't like to play with other children, she even closes her ears when she hears them laugh. She doesn't talk much either, and she's already 3!!

G:

What age did you talk then? At 2.5!! Some children are like that. And she's a girl...Better shy and quiet. She'll talk slowly, don't worry. My little girl is so wise, she doesn't go to strangers or even look at them, and you are finding fault with that? Finding strings attractive is a girly thing. If she were a boy, she would have played with cars, simple! What's the fuss about here?

BF:

Oh, come one! Mine didn't talk until 4 and now I'm having a tough time shutting her up!

H:

At least she doesn't trouble you like our son does. She plays peacefully on her own. What's wrong with that? Girls are generally shy, or did you wish for a tomboy? Leave her alone, that's her personality. Haven't you seen how well she draws even pictures she has seen only once? She is even good with her ABC and numbers. Which 3 year old arranges letters and numbers in order?! Be proud of her, she's a thinker, a genius!!

T:

I would love to meet your little girl. She definitely sounds very bright. However I would like to learn more about her play, social and communication skills. What are her food habits like, and how about her sleep? Could you come over for a visit?

Parent #3:

Why does my child find it hard to button his shirt right?! His room and table are always untidy. Look at his notebooks!! What messy handwriting. And why does he find it difficult to copy from the board? He forgets what he saw, apparently!! What sort of an excuse is that? He still remembers what I failed to get him for his 6th birthday!! All of 14 years and he still can't find a pencil in his drawer!! What do I call this? I hate his careless attitude!!

G:

He's still a small boy, he will grow out of it. You make it sound as though he is 40, not 14!

BF:

Oh these teenagers! Tell me about it!! At this age, they just love to irritate us. My mother-in-law says it's a phase of going from boy to man, and I shouldn't bother. Leave him alone. His room, his headache. He will be fine in another 3-4 years.

H:

He wears shirts to school only for a few weeks in the summer! The rest of the year he is in a blazer, so nobody will notice his buttoning! He's not going to wear a shirt all his life, what are tees for, then?

T:

From what I hear from you, I think your son has problems with his visual perception. Not to worry, I will be able to help him be more organized with his school work and his buttoning of course. Could you bring him in for a chat and maybe a couple of fun assessments, please?

Parent #4:

My son is such a speedy champ! He sat at 6 months and stood shortly after. He didn't crawl, he was too impatient to walk. My champion!!

G:

Oh my sweet little runner!! I think he'll be an Olympian in future, remember how quickly he walked?

BF:

Oh, lucky you! My son was stuck in the crawling stage for almost a month.

H:

After all, whose boy is he!! I didn't crawl either!! Now if you would excuse me, I'm trying to figure out this map and chart out a route map. Don't disturb me, I'm getting confused.

T:

Crawling is a very important milestone that shouldn't be missed. It's a very complex task for a baby, which is required to form all those complex connections in your brain. Children who don't crawl enough, or don't crawl at all, sometimes present with delays or deficits in certain cognitive functions when they are older. It's not late, please do come in for a visit. You may need my help.

Most of the time, when the parents are confused, they give it some more time and wait to see if the child will "grow out of it" like their friends and family suggested.

There are many more parents with lots more complaints and anxieties about their children. It may seem like a small problem, because we all have defects in our personalities...So 'its normal' is the norm!!

But it's important to take delays and 'slightly different' behaviours seriously. The earlier the intervention, the better.

We're here for a reason. We're qualified, we're real and we are here to help you. All you need to do is trust us to hold your hand and walk along with you through the journey.

~ Posting this not to hurt anybody's feelings if I did, but because I know this is important and I am tired of hearing, "oh, it's ok, he'll be fine". I sure hope he does, but there's more chances, he won't! ~