Infant & Toddler
Connection of Virginia
UPDATE
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends developmental surveillance and screening to identify children with developmental delays or disabilities (DDs) early, help to ensure timely interventions, and improve outcomes.
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Developmental surveillance is a longitudinal process that involves eliciting concerns, taking a developmental history based on milestone attainment, observing milestones and other behaviors, examining the child, and applying clinical judgment during health supervision visits (HSVs).
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Developmental screening involves the use of validated screening tools at specific ages or when surveillance reveals a concern.
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Diagnostic evaluations are conducted, typically by developmental specialists, to further evaluate and diagnose DDs in children deemed at risk through surveillance and screening processes.
Developmental surveillance is family centered to promote conversations and trusting relationships wherein families can express concerns. Surveillance involves clinical judgment about when a child may be at risk for delays and when additional developmental screening might be warranted. Milestone lists help to guide developmental surveillance, but those used for surveillance, unlike screening and evaluation tools, are not validated.
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“Learn the Signs. Act Early” Update
For the first time since 2004, the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early” developmental milestones have been updated! These developmental milestones show what most children (75% or more) can do by each age.
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In general, the CDC had three reasons for revising the milestones used in LTSAE materials:
- To be able to offer a free milestone checklist for every age at which there is an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended well-child health supervision visit between 2 months and 5 years, which meant adding the 15-and 30-month checklists;
- To assign milestones to ages when most children (75% or more) would have reached them, and thereby reduce the “wait and see” approach to taking action on missed milestones; and
- To address parents’ and early childhood professionals’ feedback that having very similar milestones across checklist ages was confusing.
You may be wondering what changed and should you continue to use existing copies of LTSAE materials?
LEARN MORE from Virginia’s Act Early Ambassador Deana Buck!
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SUPPORTING POSITIVE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS |
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SSIP Update
As we move into March, our work related to our new SSIP focus area, improving positive social-emotional skills and social relationships for infants and toddlers, will be off and running! We will be establishing a workgroup to collaborate with ITCVA state staff on a series of decisions that will provide the framework for subsequent SSIP activities and tasks. This workgroup will work with us to research and consider the social-emotional screening and assessment tools and practices and evidence-based service delivery practices that will anchor our improvement efforts. Watch for more information about this work each month in this Update!
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The Importance of Social- Emotional Screening and Assessments for Children in Early Intervention
As Early interventionists, we are at the helm of guiding the development of the whole child. Early Intervention assessments include physical development, cognitive development, communication, social or emotional development, and adaptive development. It is critical that each developmental domain should be attended to with equal inquiry and interest. Early intervention practices support children and families at the most critical stage of development B-3 lending significance to the importance of looking carefully at a child’s developmental baseline in order to ensure the most accurate intervention needed for the child at that time.
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Early Intervention systems receive a range of referrals for children, and some of the referrals bring us children with a complexity of needs, but as we begin to identify a starting point for the child’s service plan please remember to factor in the importance of a social emotional screening tool . Social-Emotional screening tools are critical in the beginning of our work with a child because it allows us to anticipate appropriate next steps for intervention. As research indicates, Social-Emotional development is the foundation for all other learning and should be a cornerstone for all other intervention and education. If we consider all of the stressors on the child and family prior to their referral to early intervention services, we must recognize that there are potentials for social-emotional delays based on co-occurring challenges that the child currently faces. As you reflect on your practice with children, please consider the primary benefits of using social-emotional screening tools for the child:
- Allows a pathway to support the child in learning to regulate their emotions appropriately in a variety of settings.
- When children are emotionally regulated, they can build relationships within the family construct, school and community successfully.
- When social-emotional screening tools are implemented, social-emotional problems are identified and addressed early children are less likely to be placed in special education programs.
Remember that preventing social-emotional challenges early on lead to better outcomes over a lifetime for the child.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY |
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The Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
invites you to join our upcoming free virtual conference:
Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation:
Equity from the Start
March 21 – 23, 2022
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This FREE, virtual conference is specifically geared towards IECMHC consultants, supervisors, managers, consultees, parents, leadership, and funders, but all are invited to attend. Join us to access a range of presentations related to implementing infant & early childhood mental health consultation and promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion for infants, children, families, and the workforce.
Join us for:
- Over 50 professional learning sessions
- Opportunities to connect with other individuals in the field of IECMHC
- On-Demand access through May 30, 2022.
Register today! Spots are limited
If you are unable to make the live event, please do not register as spots are limited. All recordings and handouts will be available one week following the Conference at our website, www.iecmhc.org/conference.
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INFANT & TODDLER CONNECTION OF VIRGINIA |
Looking for the most up-to-date version of the Part C Practice Manual...upcoming meeting dates...or even a new career opportunity? You'll find plenty of helpful information on the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia's early intervention website! Be sure to visit and bookmark itcva.online!
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EARLY INTERVENTION CERTIFICATION |
For questions about certification of practitioners, contact David Mills • 804-317-7776
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Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia is part of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
1220 Bank Street, 9th Floor, P.O. Box 1797, Richmond, Virginia 23219-1797
Main Office: (804) 786-3710 • Main Fax: (804) 371-7959
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1220 Bank Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 664-2462
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