Five Ways to Help Your Child- No More Waiting List!
Alicia, a parent of a 3-year-old, waited 9 months to see a pediatrician. People around her kept telling her just to relax and that everything would be okay. Her gut feeling tells her that something is wrong. Her boy is not talking. Her little boy would grab her hands to open the food cabinet to get a cookie instead of using his words. He would cry for a long time, uncontrollably.
Waiting is what kills you and your child. As you are waiting for a diagnosis and service, you tend to get more stressed. As a result, you are tired because of the lack of sleep. The one way to battle stress is to take action. Turn the stress into actions. Start small. Here are five things you can start right now!
Play With Your Child: Everyday activities with your child is a great way to teach them to follow direction, imitate, and use language. You can play together with toys or read a book. Go to Amazon and get Potato Head if you don't have one yet. Start teaching your child body parts using Potato Head.
Follow Their Lead: Read with your child. One of our favorite books is Where is Spot? Here is the youtube version Click Here. Watch this together with your child. Pause the video from now and then, and comment on what you see.
Keep It Fresh: To keep your child interested, try introducing something new to the activity. It could be a new toy or a change in the rules. By keeping things interesting, you can help your child stay engaged and keen to learn. Behaviors happen sometimes it is because there is not much to do.
Wait and See: Remember it is your child who needs to speak more words, not you. Take a deep breath and wait to see what your child does next. If your child likes Thomas, hold up Thomas the train in your hand, and just WAIT. You want to give your child many opportunities to lead and initiate. You don't want your child being told the answer all the time. Leading and initiating help develop problem-solving skills and build their confidence.
Get Help: If you have concerns about your child's development, don't hesitate to talk to other parents and early intervention professionals. Reach out to us and schedule a first meeting with us. We will chat and map out a plan.
When you cannot sleep at 3 am, tell yourself that you have a plan. You will get up the next day and do the five things listed above. You will reach out to PEC, a company devoted to helping parents of young children. While you are waiting for a diagnosis or service, you have no time to waste. Start now and feel empowered to change your child's life.
