A Record of My 1.5-Year-Old Son's Health Checkup: No Speech and Putting Everything in His Mouth
At one year old, individual differences start to become more pronounced.
Seeing children of the same age on social media can make you feel anxious or worried...
And then, the notice for the 1.5-year-old health checkup arrives amidst that anxiety.
Many mothers may feel depressed, as if the checkup is a way to grade their parenting.
My son's development is also slow, and I approached the checkup with some anxiety, but the result was that my past worries and future anxieties were resolved all at once.
I hope this will be helpful for mothers who are worried before their child's 1.5-year-old checkup, wondering what it will be like or what they should ask about.
My son at the time of his 1.5-year-old checkup
Speech was limited to "dote" (thud) and "baa" (peek-a-boo)
Used his hands to eat instead of spoons or forks
Basically put everything—stones, trash, toys, small items—into his mouth
Could point in response to specific things like dogs, cats, or railroad crossings
Did not want to hold hands and would disappear if I took my eyes off him for a second
I had the impression that he was generally slow, and I was particularly worried about his lack of speech and his habit of putting everything in his mouth.
Developmental screening by the public health nurse
Most of the famous items in a 1.5-year-old checkup probably come up in this part.
In my municipality, there were tests for "building blocks," "pointing in response," and "speech confirmation," along with a Q&A session based on the medical questionnaire.
Building blocks
At home, he could only stack two, but at the checkup, my son kept stacking them higher and higher.
I was so surprised that I couldn't help but laugh in front of the public health nurse.
They also checked if he could put the blocks away into a small container, and he cleared that without any trouble. He never cleans up at home, though. (Haha)
Pointing in response
The paper shown to him had pictures of a "dog," "fish," "car," "rice bowl," "scissors," and a "girl doll."
He cleared the dog and car, though he hesitated a little.
I hoped he would know the fish, but my son pointed at the dog without hesitation.
As for the remaining three, I had never shown him scissors because they are dangerous, we always eat one-plate meals, and we never play with dolls, so of course he didn't point to them.
I was thinking to myself the whole time, aren't the last three a bit too difficult for a 1.5-year-old?
Speech confirmation
As I wrote above, my son only says "dote" and "baa." (Even now at 1 year and 7 months old.)
When asked, "Doesn't he say mama or papa?", I asked my son, "Where's mama?", and he just went straight for his high chair, showing no sign of saying it.
Since there are large individual differences in speech, we decided to wait and see until he is 2.
Personally, I wasn't too worried because he understands instructions.
Finally, we discussed things like him disappearing from sight if I take my eyes off him and putting everything in his mouth based on the questionnaire, but the conclusion was that there were no particular problems.
Physical development check and fluoride application
In the next room, there were many items reminiscent of a hospital, such as physical measurements, a medical checkup, and a dental checkup, and many children were crying loudly.
My son also cried loudly because he hated being held down while his height was being measured.
He was used to medical checkups due to a pre-existing condition.
He also cried loudly during the dental checkup and fluoride application because his head was being held.
He cried a lot, but there were no problems, and we moved on to the next corner.
Parenting consultation with the public health nurse
She listened to my parenting concerns and anxieties while checking them against the questionnaire.
She asked about many things, including daycare and the difficulties of raising children born in consecutive years.
As we talked, this particular nurse seemed concerned that my son puts everything in his mouth, so she referred me to a special developmental consultation session with a psychologist.
Developmental consultation with the psychologist
When I entered the room where the psychologist was waiting, it was a cozy space with a low table and floor cushions in a large room.
After talking with me a little about his development, the psychologist began to play with my son while observing him.
They did various things, like putting thin sticks through small holes, fitting shapes like circles and triangles into molds, playing house, and driving toy cars, and my son seemed to be playing seriously.
After we finished playing, as I had expected, she told me, "Your son's development is a little slow."
As I accepted the result, thinking, "I knew it," a preschoolwas suggested. I thought about declining because I have a younger child, but she said,
"Once your son gets used to it, he can attend by himself from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, four days a week, for a monthly fee of 4,000 yen."
Hearing this, I immediately replied, "We will attend."
At the time, my biggest stress was caring for my son at home. I felt as if a goddess had reached out to save me, as this would not only resolve that worry but also provide support tailored to my son's development.
From there, we went over the details of the preschool and scheduled a visit, and the meeting with the psychologist ended.
Nutritional consultation with the nutritionist
Finally, there was a meeting with a nutritionist.
My son has loved eating since he started baby food, and I have often worried about the amount he eats.
Because of this, I had consulted at a developmental consultation session at a support center in the past, but I was told that while not eating is a problem, eating too much is not.
Believing that, I let him eat as he liked while considering nutritional balance, but he slightly exceeded the growth curve, so I was worried about whether I should review the amount.
However, this nutritionist also told me that it is good that he eats a lot since he seems to be very active, which put me at ease.
With the consultation with the nutritionist, the 1.5-year-old health checkup was finished.
To mothers who are anxious about checkups because their child's development is slow
I think many mothers are anxious that their child might be flagged at the 1.5-year-old checkup.
But it is okay to be flagged.
It is better to receive support to catch up on developmental delays, such as through therapeutic education or preschools, as early as possible.
In fact, it is not good for the child or the parent to look away from reality and not receive appropriate support.
So, please do not be anxious, and go into the checkup thinking of it as the first step toward helping your child grow.
Thank you for reading this time as well.