Why is developmental history important

Her adorable, adopted 2. After a little digging, it turned out that both biological mother and grandmother of the child had significant language delays and started speaking after the age of 3. Sure enough about 10 minutes into the assessment after meeting and interacting with the child I knew that she presented with a severe phonological disorder.

She was actually chattering quite a bit with appropriate prosody, pitch and loudness, good range of vowels as well as frequent spontaneous verbalizations. She was just very unintelligible due to decreased phonetic inventory and phonotactic repertoire as well as simplification of sound sequences.

The treating therapist was not using appropriate intervention strategies relevant to the treatment of her phonological disorder. After appropriate interventions were implemented, therapy gains were seen on the first session. Recently, I was asked to perform a second opinion evaluation on a bilingual 4. This child had previously been assessed by the school district SLP and found to be not eligible for services.

However, the parents became very concerned when after a 1. Lo and behold, parental input revealed a family history of reading and learning disabilities on maternal side of the family, as well as history of late primary language development.

The reassessment confirmed my suspicions. After therapy services were implemented and the necessary support to the child was provided, immediate gains were noted. A few years ago, I received a referral from a psychiatrist to perform a social pragmatic language evaluation on a post-institutionalized, internationally adopted early elementary aged child, who had been displaying significant behavioral difficulties at school.

A language reassessment did confirm the presence of significant social pragmatic language deficits. After the child began receiving social pragmatic therapy services and relevant behavior management techniques were implemented, many of the above described behaviors significantly improved. I use these three examples to illustrate a point.

In all three cases, thorough background history collection provided the key to the puzzle of what was wrong with each child. However, without knowing this history these children would have continued to struggle due to lack of appropriate diagnoses and relevant targeted interventions. In a nutshell, it is the collection of background information on a student. Familiarize yourself with this form of data collection with this review. A developmental and social history is usually collected by interview or questionnaire.

Typically, a school counselor, teacher, or psychologist will meet with a child's parent or guardian to gather the information. This information is an important part of evaluation because it provides critical details to assist in diagnosis.

It provides information on any developmental delays, health and psychological issues, behavioral concerns, and family and cultural factors that may contribute to the child's learning problems. The history also provides information on the strengths your child may have. The history information, along with other assessment data, can help confirm or rule out disabilities and suggest intervention strategies to help your child. Not sure what to expect during a developmental and social history interview or on an intake form?

You'll likely be asked when your child reached certain developmental milestones , about any physical problems and disabilities the child has, as well as health problems and medical treatments.

The specialist may also gather information about your family history. This can include anything from the quality of relationships the child has with friends and family members to whether the child has been subjected to a divorce, the death of a family member, or dislocation from home.

You may also be asked about the languages the child hears and speaks at home. Social and developmental histories also include the child's early learning experiences. When did your child learn to read , count, or spell, for example? What was the process like? Related to this is the child's academic history, which will be considered along with the child's special interests or other information unique to your child.

The information provided on the developmental and social history may be used in a number of ways. It may be included as part of your child's evaluation report or to identify any factors that can support or rule out the diagnosis of a disability.

The data may also be used to identify any matters that should be addressed before the assessment to ensure the results are valid. Finally, a developmental and social history may be used to let examiners know about any special considerations or assessment accommodations required. The fact-gathering required for a developmental and social history may feel intimidating. Rest assured that this information will be used for your child's benefit.

The data gathered can identify children's strengths, weaknesses, and the support they need to thrive. Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy.

McDowell M. Specific learning disability. J Paediatr Child Health.