Parents Need More Data-Driven Tools

On Monday, my little one's hospital-based Speech Language Pathologist delivered the sobering news that she did poorly on her speech and language assessment. Insurance limits how often you can get assessments but as her caregiver/mother/therapy procurer, I requested it so that I am informed at every step of her journey.

The result was a bit shocking because she has made significant strides. She's a delightful, humorous chatterbox. But the days that we get news like this really affect me. I've become better at managing my emotions, but the concern can be hard to shake. While my little one's situation isn't severe, I still have visceral reactions to less-than-ideal news; it's like my nervous system never bounced back from the shock of getting the initial diagnosis a few years ago.

Despite the stress, I knew something was off with the assessment. Why? Because I KNOW MY KID. Turns out, I was right. After four hours of calls with her other providers and teachers, we realized that the move to virtual therapy disproportionately affected her willingness to participate and therefore, her scores. Her teachers and other in-person therapists literally said to me, "the kid in the report is not the kid you have."

I'm not at all dismissing the helpful points of the evaluation. It captured issues that require attention and support. These expert-administered tools are lifesavers. Being a parent does not replace science-back medical experts, advice, and tools.

But what I do wonder is why don't parents have their own tools to understand and benchmark their child whenever they need? I not only need the evaluation from my SLP, but I also need my own so I can accurately capture what I observe daily and adjust interventions as necessary. Being beholden to periodic assessments is so inefficient.

And that's why I absolutely cannot wait to offer parents developmental assessments directly on Sleuth in a few short months. As experts in our young children, parents need better tools to know how they are doing and how to support them. The combination of diagnostic assessments directly from medical specialist with the parent-facing assessments can lead to better, faster care.