I took Chris to see his pediatrician today regarding my concerns about his development. She agrees that his speech and motor development are both at about the 6 to 9 month level. However, she isn't very concerned about him and thinks he will be just fine. He is developing slower than normal, but will eventually get there.
Based on her experience (which is 50 years as a pediatrician), Chris doesn't look like he is mentally retarded. The kids that end up being retarded just lie there, and Chris looks around, and is attentive and engaged. I also asked her about autism, and she said he doesn't look like an autistic child either. Kids with autism often do have slow speech development, but they don't engage with others, and often do the same thing over and over again. She mentioned those reasons, and also said her gut feelings tell her that Chris is an intelligent baby. With her decades of clinical practice, I am inclined to trust her gut.
Dr. Bublitz thinks Chris is going to be an engineer. In her practice, the kids who end up being engineers sometimes had later speech development. They are also kids who are interested in mechanical things, remotes, cords. She said she wishes she could be here in 20 years to see if he goes to Colorado School of Mines.
His weight at the appointment was 17 lb 5 oz, and length 28 inches. Head circumference was 18 3/4 inches.
The End of an Era
3 years ago
Eiko- I'm so glad to hear that you took him to the ped. It's the best thing to do no matter the concern. I know they say not to compare kids, but boy is that impossible. I remember with Eric it being really hard not to be envious of the other kids. Eric has always taken his time, particularly with gross motor skills and I think all the kids in our playgroups did all the big stuff before him. He also had later speech development, speaking only a few words at his 2-year check-up, but then over the next 6 months his speech just took off.
ReplyDeleteI also find your ped's comments about engineers to be very interesting. Since a year or two ago I've been predicting that Eric will be an engineer as well, but who knows! He's always liked looking at the details of things and studying how things work. It sounds like he and Chris may both be engineers! It does tend to run in the family... :)
Jen
sounds like the doctor had some great insight into Chris - won't it be crazy if he decides to be an engineer in twenty years?! You'll have known all along!
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