Keep perspective

Xander failed his two year old assessment test set by the health departments. 

His fine and gross motor skills were not where they should be.

He wasn't drawing a house. 

He wasn't threading beads. 

He wasn't as agile as he should be.

The list went on.

He failed every question.

He is an extreme preemie, born at 28weeks, so the above was expected.

As a mother you don't like hearing they've 'failed' though.

They didn't want to know about his cognitive skills and just dismissed this part of him. He wasn't expected to do it yet so it didn't count.

I did my own review with Xander at this time in the form of a verbal quiz.

He told me 1-10 in Japanese, his colours in English and Japanese, counted 1-23 in English, and pointed out and named 14 body parts including his heart. 

He recognised the alphabet out of sequence and told me a word example without prompting: Alligator, baby, cat, daddy, elephant, funny, grumpy, hippo, insect, jump, kangaroo, lion, mummy, ninja, octopus, paper, quiet, rabbit, sun turtle, umbrella, van, wash, xan, yoyo, zero

He knew 1+1= 2, 2+1=3 mental maths, and could work out 2+2 and 2+3 laying out crayons and then counting them unaided. He knew the names of basic shapes but couldn't identify them. He knew the days of the week, and could read 250 sight words from flashcards, and was beginning to read what words he knows from a book.

This accounted for nothing. Naturally it is a different skill set from what they were looking for specifically. However there was not a section for cognitive thinking, for knowledge or intelligence. 

They treated him like a lump that day. He's developmentally delayed. He can't jump so he's failed. He can't use a pencil. He's failed.

It was very negative. They could have handled it in a more positive light. Handing me a sheet of his weaknesses for me to work on with him, whilst acknowledging his strengths.

He had his head down when the assessor was there. He felt bad, they probably didnt even realise this. It was a 2 year old assessment...not a motor skill assessment, and yet it did not incorporate the entire child.

With my quiz, he clapped himself and demanded we clap him too after every segment. He knew he did well. 

Every single child is different and deserves to be assessed accordingly. They come into their own at their own speed. 

There will be two years olds who would have aced the motor skills test, but who would not be in the same area academically as Xander was. There's nothing wrong with that.

They all have their own strengths and weaknesses.

He caught up with the motor skill side, it just took him another year. 

We encouraged him and was positive with him. We  didn't allow negativity. He always thought he could achieve everything and he has. He was given the time he needed.

Don't allow negativity to interfere in their personal early years education journeys. 

Find their passion, and interests to focus on, whilst they're working on their weaknesses, so they feel good about themselves.