Screening Information

Ages Infant to 2

Contact Early Beginnings at the Region #26 Superintendent’s Office, call 309-575-3226, for more information.

Ages 3 to 5

Screening is for children who are NOT already enrolled at MacArthur and are living in the Macomb School District. Classroom teachers work with the child in a brief 20-30 minute series of tasks to check skills and development. Speech, language, movement, and thinking skills are evaluated. Placement in a program is based on performance of child, concerns of the family, and other needs.

Vision and Hearing

Three to five year olds are also screened for vision and hearing. Any concerns can be followed up by the parent.

Speech and Language

The Speech/Language Pathologist at MacArthur Early Childhood Center is very active in the screening process of the 3, 4, and 5 year olds in the community. Once a child has been screened, she determines if a speech/language evaluation is warranted. If it is determined that an evaluation is needed, the Speech/Language Pathologists will conduct the evaluation. After the evaluation is completed, all those involved in the evaluation meet with the parents to determine if the child is eligible for speech/language therapy. The Speech/Language Pathologists will then provide therapy to those children. Therapy may then be held in the classroom and/or a therapy room.

One year old children should be able to understand a variety of words and should be using a few single words.

By age two, words should be combined into two and three word phrases and sentences.

Between the ages of three and five, children learn to carry on a conversation, ask and answer questions, follow and give directions, and speak alone in the presence of a group. These are important skills to success in kindergarten.

Please call 309-833-4273 for an appointment. You will need to provide the child’s name, birthday and a phone number for contact information.