4-Year Doctor Visit Checklist
We continue our series on checklists for yearly Pediatrician check-ups (click here to see the checklists for the 1-year visit, the 2-year visit and the 3-year visit). Pediatricians have a set of developmental red flags, but these only hit the “big-bad-uglies” as we like to call them, including the following: Can you understand everything your child says? Does your child fall excessively? Is he feeding himself? These red flags are very specific, meaning a child who exhibits these red flags would be identified for services, but not very sensitive, meaning many children who would benefit from therapy services are missed. To help bridge the gap between Pediatricians’ red flags and children who need therapy services, I have put together a checklist of things to discuss with your Pediatrician at your child’s 4 year check-up.
At 4 Years Your Child Should Be Able to Do the Following:
- Places one foot on each stair, while going up and down stairs without handrail use
- Hops forward on one foot
- Throws ball at a target 5 feet away
- Runs and stops without falling to ground
Fine Motor Skills
- Unbuttons and buttons clothing
- Cuts paper in near straight line
- Independent eating with good fork use
Speech Skills
- 100% intelligible to familiar audience
- Uses plurals and past tense
- Correctly uses “he”, “she”, “they”
- Follows 3-step commands
- Points to parts of pictures
Take this checklist with you to your 4-year visit. If you have further concerns, schedule a pediatric physical therapy evaluation.
NSPT offers services in Bucktown, Evanston, Highland Park, Lincolnwood, Glenview and Des Plaines. If you have questions or concerns about your child, we would love to help! Give us a call at (877) 486-4140 and speak to one of our Family Child Advocates today!