How to Assess a 20-Month-Old for Attention Span

The 20-month-old is a busy person indeed. He has probably recently learned to walk, is learning to talk, and is learning about sociability and consequences. If you are feeling concerned about your child's attention span, getting a health and developmental assessment from your pediatrician is the place to start.

Instructions

• 1

  Start with your pediatrician, who will do a physical and a developmental assessment on your child. The doctor will look for milestones, such as whether the child has learned to walk or is learning to talk. The doctor will want to know how your child is exploring his environment, such as whether he spending more time exploring an object than he has before or watching the actions of other people and trying to imitate those actions. The pediatrician will take special note if a toddler seems to be interested in objects over people or avoids eye contact.

• 2

  If your doctor notices anything unusual, he may suggest you see a specialist. The specialist could be a neurologist, psychologist or just a more highly specialized pediatrician. The neurologist might look for neurological problems, such as signs of gross motor problems like stiff arms or legs, a limp body posture compared to others your child's age or the use of one side of the body over the other, or vision or hearing problems. The developmental specialist might also look at genetic or environmental risk factors that could lead to developmental delays.

• 3

  If your child's attention span is thought to be behind others of the same age, the specialist might call for a developmental screening or evaluation. A screening is a quick test of skills. A developmental evaluation is done if the screening shows there might be a problem. The evaluation should only be done by a highly trained professional, such as a psychologist.

• 4

  Tests of attention at this stage in a child's development are difficult because of the vast number of physical and psychological changes occurring in the second year. A study in 1992 found some correlation between preterm babies and attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities, but good caretaking measures have been found to have an effect on the severity of the disability.

• 5

  Don't read too much into your child's attention span compared to another child. Children develop at different rates, and no two are alike. Leave the diagnoses to the professionals, and spend your time enjoying life with your child.