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Making the Grade
What Parents Should Know About Psychological Testing By Teri Brown
So how do you know when your child should be tested? Rothenberg says that there are a number of red flags parents should notice early in a child's life.
"Early intervention is critical for some childhood problems including autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairments and developmental language disorders," she says.
Red flags for young children include:
- Children who do not speak by 2 1/2 years old
- Children who do not use language to communicate even though they know how to speak by age 3
- Children who persistently do not listen to verbal directions
- Children who show no interest in playing with other children by age 3
- Children who never or rarely engage in eye contact with others
- Children who react negatively to touch from familiar people
- Children who show no interest in using objects for imaginary play by age 2 1/2
- Children who are highly rigid and respond with extreme upset to changes in their routine
- Children who are 6 months or more behind in attaining motor milestones
This is really only a partial list," says Rothenberg. "A good evaluation looks at the child's overall functioning."
For the older child, red flags have a different look. According to Jana Martin, a licensed psychologist and the California public education campaign coordinator for the American Psychological Association, children having difficulty in school – whether due to social, academic or psychological difficulties – increase their requests to stay home. Frequent headaches, messy work, dawdling, rushing through work, negative statements about the teacher, school and the educational process in general are also indicators that something is wrong.
"It is always a good idea for parents to have handy references or charts which outline social, behavioral, academic and emotional developmental milestones for different age ranges and to refer to them periodically," says Martin. "Remember that these are best 'guesstimates,' not rigid dividing lines for determining when a child is 'behind.' It is also helpful to consult with a child's pediatrician or school counselor for ideas on appropriate expectations for children of different ages. Then, if a child shows consistent behavior lagging behind when compared to like peers, testing may help to identify not only the causes of the performance differences, but also solutions which can aid the child."