Whew! Ang haba ng BR ko.
I am so glad that M1's developmental assessment yielded a "developmentally at par with age" result.
But Dr. Tippy noted that M1 is a bit magulo nga and hindi pa ganoon ka-refined ang work behavior niya. It could be a problem when he goes to a traditional school. So she suggested that we try OT (occupational therapy) to work on his work behavior and fine motor skills. She also suggested that we try to structure the children's activities at home to improve on their work behavior. Ang sabi ko naman, the teacher of M1 said that in school he is generally focused, quiet and cooperative. So the problem could be the set-up at home nga, which allows him too much freedom kaya magulo. Last year ko pa ina-avoid ang OT na iyan kasi logistically, ang dami kong gagawin: schedule the OT, look for a therapy center near the house, maghanap ng driver to drive M1 to the center, etc. And I explained these things to Dr. Tippy but she said that we should be pro-active (favorite word niya) and do something to "modify" behavior that could be a problem later on. Tama nga naman. So, I will discuss this with my husband.
Iba din talaga kapag may professional who tells me these things. Akala kasi namin stage lang talaga ang kalikutan. But now, I realized that kung hindi nga maagapan, baka mahirapan ang anak ko sa structured setting in school later on. As of now, the Montessori method works for M1 and M2 but we have plans to send them to a traditional school (na 50% pa rin ako until now). So, better nga na maging pro-active. Well, pro-active naman ako kasi nga I insist on keeping these developmental check-ups.
By the way, Dr. T asked if we go to an eye doctor for visual screening every year. Aba, very good kami kasi 2x a year kami kay Dr. Santiago. So she also suggested we do a hearing impairment screening kasi medyo malakas daw ang voice ni M1, na could be nothing abnormal or irregular but to be on the safe side lang to avoid nga not being aware of any learning disability that could hamper learning. Eh siempre, may record na rin sa otolaryngologist ang babies ko, kay Dr. Rina Quintos. Haha, magkakakilala sila kasi puro taga-PGH. So eto ang isa pang plan ko. Pa-hearing screeening ulit.
Why ko ginagawa ang mga ito, parang OA naman, sabi ng iba? Well, preemies kasi ang babies ko and the rules that apply to full-term children do not always apply to pre-term babies. Hence, pro-active ako.
But Dr. T said it is advisable to schedule a visual screening and hearing screening for preschool-aged children once a year. So there.
By the way, I saw in one of the charts in the clinic that developmental screening (may be done by a regular pediatrician) should be done every 9th, 18th and 24th months. Autism screening is recommended to be done (in case a parent suspects) between 18-24 months for early intervention.
I learned a lot of new things today and I will post these as well in the other threads.
Re Halloween, sama kami! My tita in the US sponsors the kids' Halloween costumes every year: Winnie and Tigger the first year, pirates the second year and Woody and a race car driver last year.
Dito lang kami usually sa LGV nagjo-join. Sa Eastwood din pala noong nandoon pa kami. Gusto ko rin maka-try ng hotel Halloween so Mariott sounds like a fun idea.
