”The sooner we help, the more problems we can prevent,” said Pat Eggleston, a child psychologist in private practice and an associate professor of early childhood development at National-Louis University`s Lombard Campus. ”Even if a child is only 6 or 7 months old, they need help, and possibly more important, the parents need support. When parents get services early, they are less apt to feel at fault and alone. If a child has multiple problems, the sooner we`re aware of them, the better we can coordinate services.”
Eggleston said early screening and diagnosis can do much to prevent failing, hurtful experiences that can damage a child`s prospects and self-esteem for a lifetime.
”Once I was called into a pre-school to evaluate a little boy. They thought he might be retarded because he wasn`t talking. In observing him, I discovered that he had a great sense of humor, which usually indicates intelligence.”
Eggleston, watching the kids munch their snacks, noticed that this boy mouthed his food like an infant, instead of chewing. ”It turned out that he had mild cerebral palsy (a neurological disorder unrelated to intelligence).” She recalled another instance of a boy whose teachers thought he had a behavioral disorder. It turned out he had difficulty coloring and cutting because of a slowness in muscle development. When it came time to color or cut and paste, he would act up, be sent to the corner and avoid a frustrating situation.
Sometimes babies and children with special needs are lackadaisical or very good, Eggleston said. Because they don`t demand much, they`re easy to ignore. ”If you ignore the problem or try to wait until they outgrow it, then their self-esteem has been damaged and they perceive themselves as people who can`t learn. Just because you get your child evaluated doesn`t mean your child is a basket case. If a child isn`t identified as needing help until 1st grade, we`ve lost several years.”
Eggleston warns parents not to wait for their child to outgrow` problems. ”If you`re feeling uneasy, it`s better to have the child screened by a professional.”
