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Hello, Ms. Williams.
How are you doin' today?
-Good, how are you? -It's so good to see you again.
-Yeah, you too. -Before I jump in,
I must let you know that Jayden is such a sweetheart.
I really enjoy having him in my class.
Good, good.
We're gonna talk about how things are going at school.
But I'd love to know first before we jump in,
how are things going at home?
Things seem to be going okay at home.
Sometimes I wonder if he's a little bit too good, though.
I know a lot of my friends with kids that are two,
they always complain about the terrible twos.
And Jayden really always seems to mind us.
He doesn't even get upset if we turn off
a video he's watching, because it's time for bed.
And he doesn't really seem to try to do a lot of things
on his own.
My husband is wondering if maybe
we're babying him too much.
It sounds like you might be a little concerned,
so, did you have a chance to fill out
the milestone checklist that I gave you last time?
I did, I have it right here.
I actually have been doing
the same thing here in keeping up as well.
So, why don't we take a look and just compare
what we have, okay?
Looks like he has the motor skills.
And in the classroom, he loves playing with the ball.
My husband plays ball with him all the time, he loves it.
That's great, because that's an activity
that will be really great for helping further
develop his motor skills.
Let's take a look at the language section
and see how he's doing.
He knows all the kids' names in the classroom for sure.
And he definitely points to things
or pictures when they're named.
He definitely repeats words that he's heard in conversation.
We know when we've messed up, because we hear
the same words come out of his mouth later on.
Well, kids at that age are like little sponges, right?
So, they just soak up everything,
and some of the things that they repeat
we're okay with, and then sometimes,
not so much, right?
Yeah, I notice Jayden, he follows
instructions 100 percent of the time.
And that is a little unusual at this age.
Typically, kids at his age, they don't do that.
They can be a little resistant, sometimes even defiant.
For example, if another child
is playing with a toy, and you ask them to share
and maybe give it back, they may get a little upset,
maybe even throw a tantrum.
And I don't see that reaction from Jayden.
Have you noticed that?
Yeah, that's kind of what I meant when I said that
I wonder if he's a little bit too good.
I hear you, I'm a little concerned about that as well.
Now, I'll tell you that all children are different
and develop at different paces, but at this age,
Jayden should be a little bit more independent.
And what I mean by that is for example,
you know, pouring his own juice or reaching up and climbing
to get something that he wants.
And with Jayden, he may see something
that he wants, but he might just stand there
and look at it and wait until someone brings
it to him or gets it for him.
So, why don't we take another look at the checklist
and see what else we see.
I've noticed here that you've put a question mark
next to "plays beside other children."
Yeah, Jayden's an only child, and he's the first
grandchild on either side, so I never really get
a chance to see him with other children.
That's not unusual.
And I welcome you at any point if you wanna
schedule some time to come and sit and observe
in the classroom, you're more than welcome
to do that, love to have you.
I've actually noticed Jayden playing beside
other children, but I haven't seen him
interacting with children.
Have you noticed that?
I had a friend over recently, and she had
a six-year-old daughter.
She was out in the yard doing somersaults,
and Jayden went out and tried to copy her.
Is that what this one is?
"Copies others, especially adults
and other children."
That's exactly what that is.
And it's super cute that Jayden was copying
her somersaults.
And as we talked earlier about his motor skills
being so strong, I'm pretty sure
he'll have that down pat really soon.
Let's take a look at the cognitive section together.
Jayden is doing a really great job of sorting
his shapes and colors, but I also see that
we both don't have anything checked
next to "completes sentences and rhymes in books"
as well as "plays make believe."
Does Jayden have a favorite book that he likes
to read at home or have you read for him at home?
He does, one of his favorites is a rhyming book about a bear.
He'll ask me to read it over and over again.
I always kinda pause and wait to see if he'll finish the rhyme,
but he always just looks at me and waits for me to finish it.
He has another one about trucks that we read a lot.
And he'll point at the trucks and name them,
or if he doesn't know the name, he'll just say "truck."
So, he likes for you to read to him,
but he doesn't complete the rhymes.
Right. Yeah.
What about make believe? Does he play pretend?
For instance, like pretending like he's talking on the phone,
or playing house?
No, I don't really see him doing things like that, either.
There seems like there's a lot of things
we haven't checked on here.
Should I be worried, is he behind?
I know you're concerned, but what I want you to know
is that you're doing all the right things
by tracking his development.
I think at this point, the best next step
is that we talk to the doctor.
I'd encourage you to schedule an appointment
so that you can talk with the pediatrician.
Now that we've gone through the list,
I'm worried.
Could this be because of something that we're doing?
Could we be babying him too much,
doing too much for him?
I know you're concerned, Ms. Williams,
but I want you to know that you and Mr. Williams
are great parents.
Based on what you shared with me today,
you're doing all the right things to help
Jayden along with his development.
You shared with me that you're reading to him,
and your husband's playing ball,
and those are the types of activities that are
really helpful as we're trying to help Jayden
along with his development.
At this point, to find out more,
I think the best next step is for you to talk
to the doctor and express your concerns.
Okay, he is a little late for his two-year-old check up,
so, I've been meaning to call and make an appointment.
Great, and when you call and talk with the receptionist
to schedule the appointment, let them know that
you are concerned about Jayden's development,
and specifically ask that the pediatrician
do a developmental screen.
And to do that, the doctor will probably
give you a sheet of paper that asks you some questions
about Jayden and his development.
And also, what I'll do before you leave today,
I'll give you a developmental screening
fact sheet so that you have a better idea
of what to expect with that process.
And let's be sure that you bring
these checklists with you, both yours and the one--
I'll make a copy of this for you, so you can bring this one
that we have at school so that the doctor
can get a better idea of Jayden at home
and at school, as well.
And then the results of the developmental screen
is what will tell us if there are issues
with Jayden's development.
And if there are issues for Jayden,
either you or I can call
the Early Intervention Program to see if he's eligible
for services.
Are you familiar with Early Intervention?
Yes, I knew a child who got speech therapy
through Early Intervention.
But, I need to talk to my husband
before I do anything.
Of course.
And I'd be happy to talk to Mr. Williams
or the both of you again together.
Just let me know what you'd like.
But in the meantime, I'd like to share with you
a Milestone Moments booklet which has
milestones by age up to five years old.
But in this section, it's also giving you tips
for activities that you can do with Jayden
to help him along with his development.
So, be sure to share this with your husband,
and you guys can work on that together.
Okay, great, thank you.
I know I've shared a lot of information
with you, Ms. Williams.
Would it be helpful if I went over a list
of next steps with you again?
Yeah, that would be really helpful.
Great, well we've got notepads there
if you wanna take notes.
So, of course, the first step
is to talk with Mr. Williams and share with him
the milestone checklist, as well as the tips
for activities that you can do with Jayden to help him
along with his development.
Then you'll wanna call the doctor to schedule
the appointment.
And make sure that when you call that you ask
specifically for the developmental screening,
and you wanna make sure that you bring
the checklist along with you, the checklist that
you've been keeping as well as the checklist
that I've been keeping so that the doctor
can get a good picture of how Jayden's doing at home,
as well as at school.
And I think a good next step that will be helpful
is if you review the developmental screening
fact sheet that I'm going to give you
to be sure that you guys understand the process
and know what to expect.
You wanna make sure, before you go,
make a list of questions that you have for the doctor
in advance.
One thing to keep in mind is the idea
of calling the Early Intervention Program.
You don't need a referral from the doctor,
and remember, if you have any questions,
I'm here to help you guys along the way.
I wanna make sure that I'm here to support you.
Okay, great. Thank you so much.
These meetings are really helpful for me to be able
to talk through Jayden's development.
Now I feel more comfortable knowing what our next steps are.
And I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me
about it, and it's a partnership.
We're in this together.
And so, if you have questions, like I said, along the way,
or anything, I'm here to support both you
and Mr. Williams as well as Jayden.
Okay, great. Thank you so much.
And when you guys are ready to talk
and schedule another meeting, just let me know.
All right.
Okay, have a good day.
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