NICU Follow-up Clinic

Developmental Testing
Developmental testing involves assessment by a team of professionals who evaluate your child's abilities in problem solving and thinking, communication and motor skills. Babies born prematurely are at higher risk for having behavioral, learning, mobility and communication difficulties. Early diagnosis and intervention are important to the future development of the child.

NICU Clinic Services

• Serves primarily infants 12 months or under (adjusted age)
• ore Interdisciplinary Team consisting of a:
• Psychologist
• Speech/language pathologist
• Physical or Occupational therapist
• Nurse
• Core Team Assessment and Recommendations in the following areas:
• Cognitive
• Communication
• Motor
• Sensory/Temperament

Who schedules this appointment?
When your infant is approximately nine to ten months of age, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment for your infant. NICU Follow-up Clinic is held on Wednesday mornings from 9 am to noon.

What will happen on the day of testing?
On that day, you will bring your child to the CCHD at the KU Medical Center. You should come about 15 minutes early to check in, and the appointment will last about an hour.

• Your infant will be weighed and measured; then you and your infant will be brought to the assessment room.
• Assessment room evaluation
• A psychologist will present activities using a variety of toys (blocks, cups, cars, etc.). Your child's responses to these activities provide information about her/his development.
• A physical or occupational therapist will complete motor testing. Throughout the session, the speech language pathologist will be asking you questions about your child's early communication skills, such as sounds made, response to name being called, etc.
• The team will score its evaluations. Results and recommendations will be discussed with you before you leave. You will be told how your child's development compares to typically developing children in the areas of problem solving, communication and motor skills.
• A letter summarizing the results will be sent to your physician and a copy will also be mailed to you about two weeks after your infant's appointment. This information will be useful in planning monitoring or intervention as needed.

For additional information contact:
Susan Cannon, MS PT
Center for Child Health and Development (CCHD)
University of Kansas Medical Center
3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160-7340
(913) 588-5910 or scannon@kumc.edu