Denial. I think most of us are pretty good at it, but I have to say that regarding my son Eric and his developmental delays, I was Champion of Denial. As a parent, one of the hardest things is seeing and acknowledging that your child is delayed in some area. We all see the perfection of our children; how can this perfect and beautiful child be (gulp!) "delayed"? Believe me, denial is usually the way to go here, except it's also the way to go if you want it to come back later and bite you in the butt. When Eric was an infant I held out the hope for months that he'd somehow magically jump ahead and be "okay", but he didn't and he wasn't and eventually I had to reconcile with that and accept the help that's given to kids who need it. But by then he had lost a fair amount of valuable time.
So don't do that.
A questionnaire called "Ages and Stages" (ASQ) has been developed by the University of Eugene in an effort to try to catch possible delays sooner. Pediatricians give the questionnaire to parents who complete it at home while observing their children, up to age 5. Eric's delays were obvious, but they aren't in every case, and having a questionnaire to fill out helps you be more objective.
An estimated 12% to 16% of U.S. kids have delays, but it's also estimated that 80% of those aren't caught as early as they could be. You can actually complete the questionnaire online also and be part of the accompanying study. There are other developmental questionnaires out there, but the study conducted to determine the efficiency of ASQ indicates that it's more effective than other questionnaires available.
Seriously. Don't paint your kid through rose-colored glasses (how's that for mixing metaphors?). There's nothing wrong with having a delay, and in most cases, kids who are delayed in one area or another often manage to meet their potential with some time and a little help.
