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Evaluating Toddlers
When Should You Worry About Your Toddler's Mental Health?
By Teri Brown
"Very, very sudden changes of behavior are usually caused by a change in the child's environment," says Johnston. "A new baby in the home or some other traumatic event is usually responsible for the change. This can usually be found fairly quickly."
Delays in speech, social interactions or other physical milestones all may be a sign that there is something going on with your toddler that needs to be checked. The physical and the emotional overlap quite frequently, which is why the best place to start is often with your child's own pediatrician.
Dr. Charles Sophy, a triple board-certified psychiatrist and the medical director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health and Family Services, believes parents are on the front line when it comes to noticing problems with their child. Being aware of your toddler's eating, sleeping and social interactions and other developmental milestone can lead you on a path to understanding if your child needs assistance, says Dr. Sophy.
"Children can be evaluated at any age, whether they are verbal or non-verbal, mobile or immobile," says Dr. Sophy. "When a child is evaluated, a tremendous amount of insight or understanding is easily tapped into by an appropriate professional. Things such as social interaction, developmental milestones and other important key points are some things that would be evaluated at this age."
Dr. Sophy says the earlier the awareness and the intervention, the quicker the resolution. "On average, one-third to a double of the child's age is the time it takes to resolve a problem," he says. "The sooner the problem is realized the quicker a resolution will arise. On average, I would say that it will take between three and six months until signs of improvement are fully realized."
