Before visiting a developmental support center.

Hello. I am a science-loving mom raising a 2-and-a-half-year-old son who doesn't speak yet and a 3-month-old daughter.

I'm sorry for posting a dark note yesterday. I received many kind comments, which cheered me up. Thank you🙏 I will reply to them slowly later.

Now, today, I will summarize what I have researched regarding the point of what is developmental support? Because, tomorrow I am going to a developmental support trial for the first time!! (Nervous...!)

There are many types of developmental support

My child was recommended to receive developmental support because "he is not speaking yet." Therefore, I had the perception that "developmental support" was a place to go to "encourage language development," but after looking into it, it seems it's not such a simple place.

Even though we call it "developmental support" in one word, the activities vary widely from facility to facility, and I have to find a place that suits my child. It seems some children attend multiple facilities depending on their goals.

In the municipality where I live, for the developmental support classes run by the city, a doctor determines the necessary class (I'm grateful that a professional decides!), but this can only be attended once a month.

If you want to "have them attend more often," not only do you have to find a private facility yourself, but you cannot attend the city's developmental support classes... You have to choose one or the other.

My son's medical examination is in September, so our current position is to try out several private facilities by then and decide to some extent whether to contract with a private facility or use the city's developmental support classes.

Is there a speech-language-hearing therapist?

Well, when I didn't understand the above things very well, I applied for a trial at a major facility closest to my home.

Then, I was asked, "We don't have a speech-language-hearing therapist, is that okay?"

"What is a speech-language-hearing therapist?"
"What does it mean that there is no speech-language-hearing therapist?"

I have so many questions...

In other words, for my son, whose main concern is "delayed speech," a developmental support facility with a speech-language-hearing therapist seems better.

The facility I called first does not have a speech-language-hearing therapist, and it seems that group eurhythmics and the like are the main activities, so I am thinking that it might be a little different for my son.

With that background, the developmental support I am going to try out tomorrow is individual developmental support. I will ask tomorrow if there is a speech-language-hearing therapist.

Is it parent-child separation or not?

It seems that how parents are involved in developmental support varies greatly depending on the facility.

The facility I am visiting tomorrow involves parent-child separation, and I can observe my son's activities through a one-way mirror.

The first developmental support center I inquired about offered to pick up my son from kindergarten and drop him off at home after the session. While I would be happy to have less hassle (especially since I also have a 3-month-old daughter), I am grateful for that.

For now, being able to observe his activities through a one-way mirror feels more attractive because I could learn how to interact with my son.

What is the purpose of developmental support?

Now, changing the subject slightly to the "purpose of developmental support." My own understanding was just that "it would be nice if attending developmental support would encourage my son's language acquisition," but it seems it is not that simple.

This article is very helpful.

I will quote a part of it:

Yes, my son is my son, and he is incredibly precious just as he is. I must not forget that, I thought to myself again. In other words, developmental support is not a place to go to change my son.

Support to make life easier

That said, if language development is encouraged, my son should be able to communicate his intentions, which should make his life easier. (He doesn't have tantrums, but there are still 2-3 times a day when he wants to convey something, but I don't understand, and it ends up unresolved.)

I see it as a place to receive support for that purpose.

Also, while he seems to be adjusting to group life in kindergarten for now, he might have trouble with human relationships in the future.

(He hasn't been diagnosed yet, but my son is likely ASD, or perhaps in the gray zone? I am aware that I also have ASD tendencies, and I really struggled after I started working as an adult because I couldn't fit into the company. Like in the previous article, I have experienced falling into symptoms that seem like secondary disabilities.)

To prevent that from happening, it might be good if he could also learn things like how to interact with people.

Things to check before going to developmental support

So, I will summarize the things I thought I should check and organize before going to visit a developmental support center.

In our family's case, it looks something like this.

Yes, having written this much, I have managed to organize my thoughts quite a bit. With this note article in hand, I will go to the developmental support trial session tomorrow!

This ended up being mostly like me talking to myself, but I hope it will be of some help to other moms and dads who are about to choose a developmental support center.

Best regards.

Information

On a whim, I started a collaborative magazine specializing in developmental disabilities. Anyone involved with developmental disabilities (individuals, parents, support staff) is welcome to join. We are actively looking for members! I look forward to your participation!