Step 3: Why is This Taking so Long?

The next step will likely involve screening and assessment. You may visit with a range of medical and health professionals to determine the cause of the delay. There are waiting lists for many health care services in BC for both children and adults, and these include many screening and assessment services. There are significant differences from community to community in terms of what is available.

Please remember that no matter how long the wait, the assessment process will start and that your child will be seen by a specialist. If you are able to do so, you might want to think of some questions that you would want to ask the specialists who will be working with and evaluating your child when the time comes.

Figure 1. Waiting in line

Click here for help with a list of questions that you may need to ask those specialists

Sometimes a diagnosis is not needed in order to receive the services of many intervention programs like the Infant Development Program or the Aboriginal Infant Development Program. Staff in these programs will help you work through the screening and assessment procedures, and help you plan a program at home that will encourage your child’s development while you wait for investigations to be done.