Young children develop at different rates, so it isn't always easy to know when to seek more information. You may have noticed something yourself, been encouraged to “wait and see,” or already started services but still have questions.
This brief guide can help you think about three things:
- What are you noticing?
- How much is it getting in the way?
- Do you have enough information to know what to do next?
This is not a test and there is no score. A single concern may be important if it meaningfully affects your child's development or daily life.
1.
What Are You Noticing?
Communication & Development
I have concerns about how my child is communicating, learning, developing new skills, or becoming more independent.
Social Communication & Autism
I have questions about how my child connects, communicates, plays, or interacts with other people.
Emotions & Behavior
My child's emotions or behavior seem unusually difficult or are interfering with everyday activities.
Your Instinct Matters
I continue to feel that something about my child's development or behavior isn't quite right—even though others have reassured me or suggested that I “wait and see.”
2.
How Much Is It Getting in the Way?
A concern does not have to look severe to matter. Think about whether the differences you're noticing are interfering with your child's ability to:
- communicate and express their needs
- learn or play
- participate in preschool, childcare, or activities
- interact with children or adults
- manage everyday routines
- develop age-appropriate independence
Also consider whether concerns occur in more than one setting, are noticed by other caregivers or professionals, or are becoming more apparent as expectations increase.
3.
What Questions Remain?
Sometimes an evaluation is helpful not because a child has many concerns, but because you don't yet have enough clarity to know what to do next.
Which of these sound familiar?
What Do My Answers Mean?
Step back and consider the overall picture after answering the questions above:
What are you noticing?
Is it getting in the way?
Do you understand enough to know what to do next?
If concerns are limited and aren't interfering much with everyday functioning, continued monitoring seems reasonable.
If you have a specific concern in one area, a focused next step—such as developmental screening, Early Intervention services, speech/language evaluation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or consultation with your child's pediatrician—may provide the information you need.
A neurodevelopmental evaluation may be helpful when concerns affect everyday functioning, cross several areas of development or settings, persist despite intervention, don't fit neatly into one explanation, or when greater clarity would change what you or others do to support your child.
And if you continue to be concerned despite reassurance from others, that matters too.
What Next?
If you're still unsure what type of evaluation or support your child needs, you don't have to figure it out on your own.
A comprehensive neurodevelopmental evaluation is a primary focus of the Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Center. Families are welcome to contact our office to learn more about an evaluation or schedule a brief phone consultationto discuss their questions and possible next steps: [email protected].
If you live outside the state of Georgia or would like find to a provider who is in network under your insurance plan, your child's pediatrician or insurance company can help you identify appropriate providers in your community.
And remember, an evaluation isn't always the next step. Depending on your concerns, developmental screening, Early Intervention, other clinical therapies, or continued monitoring may be more appropriate.
One Reason Not to Wait
If your child loses skills they previously used consistently—such as words, communication, social engagement, play, movement, or other developmental abilities—contact your child's pediatrician promptly rather than waiting for an evaluation.