The U9 screening - is it going well?
Our series on the U examinations continues with the U9 - which is almost like a repeat of the U8.
At the U9, the children are five years old and, as always, weighing and measuring are part of the examination. We also measure the blood pressure, check the urine and check the immunisation record. Of course, as always, there is also time to discuss any questions that parents may have had since the last check-up.
All in all, however, the U9 is not very different from the U8; the same aspects are examined, namely motor skills, fine motor skills and speech. And the developmental differences that we would like to see in comparison to the U8 are relatively small in some areas.
Two examples: A child should already be able to hop on one leg at U9, at least three to five hops per leg should work. There should also have been a small "hiccup" in speech. For example, if the child is still saying "Dinderdarden" and "Sule", you could consider speech therapy.
Another common topic for parents at U9 is the question of school enrolment: When will the child be ready? There is a separate tip with a video about this.
Further interesting tips
Regulation problems
It could all be so wonderful: The baby has finally arrived, everyone is happy and well. Actually. Because the little one cries and screams all the time and hardly sleeps. So the parents don't sleep either, are completely exhausted and at the end of their tether. The problem: so-called regulation difficulties.
Truancy
A really difficult topic today - but one that has been taking up more and more space in paediatric practices in recent years. And that's why it's important to discuss it here: It's about truancy.
Tics
Today we are talking about tics - a topic that causes great anxiety among parents. So let's start with the good news: for most children, a tic disorder is only temporary. And in most cases, it resolves itself. Sometimes after weeks, sometimes after months - but it goes away again.