I Worry That My Grandchild Is Different
QI’m very worried about my young granddaughter – she is two and a half. I watch her two mornings a week while her mum works and I can’t help noticing that she barely speaks. She seems to be stuck in her own world and it takes a real effort to get her to interact with anyone. My son dismissed my worries and I don’t want to upset my daughter-in-law by bringing it up. I do feel she needs to be assessed by a professional, but what can I do?
AThis is such a difficult situation for you. Wanting to do the best for your granddaughter, at the same time as not upsetting her parents. It must be so lovely to have all this time with her and she must be very comfortable with you. You are in a good position, however, to notice that she may not be behaving as your children were at a comparable stage. Do you take her to a playgroup or to baby yoga or singing? There are groups you can go to which would be a
useful setting to observe further. If your granddaughter is noticeably different from these children, then there may be a basis to ask more questions. A chat with a health professional in the field could also help. Armed with this up-to-date information you need to have a conversation firstly with your son and then hopefully with your daughter-in-law as well. It is clear you all love the child dearly, and on that basis, a suggestion to take her to a professional to see whether there is a problem may feel less threatening. You could venture to say that you worry about her and want to make sure all is OK. After all, children do develop at different rates. If all is well, that’s fine. If not, early intervention is the best way forward and your son may be grateful to you for facing a truth early on.
It is clear that you all love her dearly, so your suggestion may be less threatening