I am worried that my 2.5 year old son is falling behind. He says very little and doesn't seem to be interested in playing. What should I do?
A very positive first step is that you have asked this question and are prepared to take action. At times parents ignore certain characteristics in their child in the hope that things will improve on their own. Discuss your concerns with your partner and or close family. This may offer you some support in moving forward. However, if your partner does not share your anxiety you will have to consider whether your concerns are legitimate and if so proceed without your partners support.
Your fist step should be to your local Government clinic, family GP or paediatrician. Unfortunately, many doctors fail to identify a developmental delay at an age when the child should be receiving early intervention services. Birth to three is a critical time in a child's development, so a delayed diagnosis may compromise his/her chances for success. The doctor will conduct a general routine developmental screening which includes completing a simple checklist which the doctor follows up with additional questions and an evaluation of the results. This screening is not intended to diagnose a child, but rather, to use parent observations and developmental milestones as a means to identify concrete concerns about a child's development. Additional screening may be required for hearing and vision and some doctors recommend tests that evaluate levels of lead and toxins in the blood.
The results of the screenings may indicate the need for a formal evaluation. This should be conducted by a qualified psychologist, psychiatrist or paediatrician. Your doctor can refer you to the Department of Health Child Assessment Service Website: http://www.dhcas.gov.hk/english/scope_ser/scope_ser_oas.html or you may prefer to access a private centre either in or outside of Hong Kong. With professional advice parents can help their child reach his or her full potential.
Therefore it is up to you as the child's parent to move forward if something is not as it should be.
Red Flags: If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family doctor for an immediate evaluation:
- No big smiles or joyful expressions by six months
- No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months
- No babbling by 12 months
- No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
- No words by 16 months
- No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
- Any loss of skills at any age
We have just arrived in Hong Kong and would like to know more about what services are available for our 4.5 year old child with special needs.
This really depends upon several matters. Firstly what special needs does your child have, what language/languages you speak and your financial position. However, initially it may be prudent to register your child as having special needs with the Hong Kong Government Social Welfare Department. To do so you will need to have your visa paperwork in order which your company/employer will have organised for you prior to your arrival. Refer to the Social Welfare Department website www.swd.gov.hk. (Integrated Family Services) to contact your local family service centre that will be able assist you with enquiries or referrals for special needs. The Social Welfare Department provides Government-managed services ranging from one hour a week to residential care, the majority of these services are provided in Cantonese and are relatively inexpensive (Rehabilitation Services on SWD website).
The Watchdog Early Learning Centre provides small group and individual sessions for children with special needs in English or Cantonese. Website: www.watchdog.org.hk. In addition The Child Development Centre at Matilda Website: www.cdchk.org provides a variety of programmes including an integrated preschool, toddler programmes, small group and individual therapies in English for children aged between birth and six. Both of these centres are partially funded by the Social Welfare Department therefore access to some programmes necessitates that the child is registered with them. Both Watchdog and the Child Development Centre are experienced in working with children who have a wide range of special needs including autism.
There are several private companies in HK that provide specialist services for children with autism ( www.autism.hk ). They generally use an applied behaviour analysis approach which ranges from 38 hours a week of individual work to primary school provision. Similarly there are many private therapists who provide speech therapy and occupational therapy.
As there are so many services my advice would be to contact either the Child Development Centre or Watchdog and ask them for advice on how to proceed. An important note: as your child is 4.5 you will need to investigate primary schools immediately as applications are being taken now and unfortunately there may be waitlists. Information about school applications can be obtained at the Child Development Centre.
