Introduce yourself to Thomas and her mother and state the aim of your assessment. His mother report that his hearing has improved since the insertion of grommets . Ask his mother if any of his ears is better that the other and try to speak towards that side. Look at Thomas when talking to him- some children with hearing difficulties tend to lip read.

Try to engage him in a conversation(expressive language skills). Two year old boys are usually interested in cars and some children TV characters like Thomas the tank engine. Observe for any sounds, words, phrases and sentences. Also comment on their clarity of his speech

Check his understanding- present a few common household objects(spoon, cup, pen, book) and see if he can identify them either by naming or by use?. Can he carry out instructions like- put the book under the table? Show him  two objects of different sizes and see if he can identify the big one.

Assess his concentration and attention.  You can ask his mother to read a short story from a book to him and assess his concentration. Also comment on whether he is sitting attentively and listening to you or changing from one activity to the other. You could also get this information from his mother. 

Get information from his mother on the size of her vocabulary.

Summarise your findings and present them to the examiner. State whether Thomas’ development is appropriate for his age, delayed or advanced. Give a plan of management.

 Expected milestones for a 2 year old
a. Expressive language:
i.    can put words together and make two word phrases

b. Concentration and attention:
i.    concentrates to own choice of activity

c. Understanding
i.   can name parts of the body as well as the dolls body
ii.  can name common objects
iii. can follow commands having two information carrying words
iv. understands big and small

d. Vocabulary of 50-200 words

You conclude from your examination that Thomas has delayed speech and language development.  He has good understanding but his expressive language and his vocabulary are delayed. You note that this has improved from the history given by his parents. You refer him to the speech and language therapist and request a full developmental assessment to assess his needs. Thomas and his parents are already attending a mum and toddler group and have found this helpful.
 

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