On May 9th I took Q in to have a developmental evaluation performed since she was not yet doing many of the things that a 9 month old would typically do. When a child is referred to the MISD they evaluate that child for any and all types of delays so I was not just asked questions regarding her physical abilities but also concerning her speaking skills, how she reacted in certain situations, if she would respond to her name, how she responds to strangers, etc. They want to know about the TOTAL well being and progression of the child. We met with two ladies, one was a physical therapist there to evaluate her developmentally and the other was more there to evaluate her to make sure there were no learning delays that may need to be addressed.
As far as there being any learning disabilities or hiccups, they feel that she is right on schedule for a 9 month old. As far as her motor skills were concerned she was at the level of a 6 month old, so it's not terribly far behind but we have a lot of work to do. One test that they preformed was taking her foot and seeing how far they could bend it forward - she was able to bend Q's foot all the way up to her shin. She should not be that limber! The physical therapist said that if she stays that limber then we need to get her in gymnastics as soon as she is old enough! But what this showed them was that she has very little muscle tone and that is a huge reason why she's not doing many of the things she should be doing at this age.
Since the MISD operates under the school system they do not operate during the summer months. The therapist recommended that if we do not see improvement by the middle of June then we should seek treatment through private means just until school would open again in September when she would be able to work with the MISD. Either way, they will give me a call in September to schedule another evaluation with her just to see how she has progressed and if she needs any further assistance. For now we are just supposed to do exercises with Q several times each day to help build the muscle tone and encourage her to crawl and pull herself up.
**UPDATE**
Q is already making lots of progress!! She can almost sit herself up from laying without any assistance and she has no issues getting where she wants to be. She is starting to show so much more interest in everything around her and if she sees it and wants it she will find a way to get to it! She's much more steady now while sitting and rarely, if ever, tumbles over. She's also beginning to use one hand to stabilize herself while using the other hand to reach across and grab something (this is great for strengthening her upper body).
