As early childhood professionals, we can be a valuable source of information for parents about the development of their children. It is important to know and understand typical development of children.  

Adapted from: Developmental Monitoring and Screening | CDC

According to the CDC website, developmental monitoring, development screening, and developmental evaluation are three important steps in catching delays and concerns early in order for early intervention services to be administered as soon as possible. Early intervention refers to services and supports that can help young children with developmental delays. It’s like special education but it’s for eligible young children who are behind in reaching developmental milestones. 

Developmental monitoring observes how a child grows and changes over time and whether or not that child meets the typical developmental milestones in playing, learning, speaking, behaving, and moving. Parents, grandparents, early childhood providers, and other caregivers can participate in developmental monitoring. Milestone checklists can be used to see how a child is developing. 

Doctors and nurses also conduct developmental monitoring at well-child visits. The doctor or nurse might ask parents questions about their child’s development. Sometimes, they will talk and play with the child to see if he or she is developing and meeting milestones. A missed milestone could be a sign of a problem, so the doctor or another specialist will take a closer look by using a more thorough test or exam.  

Milestone checklists can be found here: CDC’s Developmental Milestones | CDC

Milestone tracker information can be found here: CDC’s Milestone Tracker App | CDC

Developmental screening takes a closer look at how a child is developing. The tools used for developmental and behavioral screening are formal questionnaires or checklists based on research that ask questions about a child’s development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions. Developmental screening can be done by a doctor or nurse, but also by other professionals in healthcare, early childhood education, community, or school settings.

Developmental screening is more formal and is done less often than developmental monitoring. A child should be screened if a parent, caregiver, or doctor have a concern. However, developmental screening is often a regular part of well-child visits for all children even if there is not a known concern.

In addition, the AAP recommends that all children be screened specifically for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during regular well-child visits at 18 and 24 months.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends developmental and behavioral screening for all children during regular 9, 18, and 30 month well-child visits. 

If a child is at a higher risk for developmental problems due to preterm birth, low birthweight, environmental risks like lead exposure, or other factors, a healthcare provider may also discuss additional screening. If a child has an existing long-lasting health problem or a diagnosed condition, the child should have developmental monitoring and screening in all areas of development.

A brief test using a screening tool does not provide a diagnosis, but it indicates if a child is on the right track developmentally or if a specialist should take a closer look. If the screening tool identifies an area of concern, a formal developmental evaluation may be needed. This formal evaluation is a more in-depth look at a child’s development, usually done by a trained specialist, such as a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, or other specialist. The specialist may observe the child, give the child a structured test, ask the parents or caregivers questions, or ask them to fill out questionnaires. The results of this formal evaluation determine whether a child needs special treatments or early intervention services or both.

Many children with developmental delays or behavior concerns are not identified as early as they should be. As a result, these children must wait to get the help they need to do well in social and educational settings (for example, in school, at home, and in the community).

In the United States, about 1 in 6 children aged 3 to 17 years have one or more developmental or behavioral disabilities, such as autism, a learning disorder, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Many children have delays in language or other areas that can affect how well they do in school.

Many children with developmental disabilities are not identified until they are in school, by which time significant delays might have occurred and opportunities for treatment might have been missed.

Intervention before kindergarten has huge academic, social, and economic benefits. Studies have shown that children who receive early treatment for developmental delays are more likely to graduate from high school, hold jobs, and live independently. (https://agesandstages.com/about-asq/why-screening-matters/)

Early intervention focuses on skills in these areas:

• Physical skills (reaching, crawling, walking, drawing, building)
• Cognitive skills (thinking, learning, solving problems)
• Communication skills (talking, listening, understanding others)
• Self-help or adaptive skills (eating, dressing)
• Social or emotional skills (playing, interacting with others)

Research shows that early intervention treatment services can greatly improve a child’s development. Early intervention services help children from birth through 3 years of age (36 months) learn important skills. Services can include a variety of options, depending on the child’s need, such as therapy to help the child talk, move and walk, learn, and interact with others.  

A parent, a health care provider, or a child care provider can refer children for an early intervention evaluation. If a child is found eligible, a team from the state’s early intervention program works with the family to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This plan defines goals and the types of services to help children and their families.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) says that children with a diagnosed disability should get special education services. IDEA says that children younger than 3 years of age who are at risk of having developmental delays might be eligible for early intervention treatment services even if the child has not received a formal diagnosis. Treatment for particular symptoms, such as speech therapy for language delays, may not require a formal diagnosis. These services can take place in the child’s home or in the community, such as in a child care center. 

When parents are concerned about a child’s development, it can be very challenging for them to figure out the right steps to take. Likewise, it can be difficult for child care providers to communicate concerns with families when they aren’t sure where to refer them. States have created parent centers. These centers help families learn how and where to have their children evaluated and how to find services. The contact information for Kentucky’s center can be found at the links below.  

Website for KY-SPIN

KY-SPIN Infosheet

Child Find is part of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The purpose of the law is to serve the education needs of children with disabilities.  Child Find is provided by each state to evaluate and identify children who need special education services. 

In this endeavor, public school systems have a big responsibility—they must identify, locate, and evaluate any child who needs special education services. This is called “Child Find.”

Looking for and finding these children is an important first step toward getting them the help they need to thrive in school.  Public school systems must:

• Have policies and procedures for finding and identifying children who qualify for special education and related services.
• Seek out children in migrant families, those without homes, and children who are homeschooled or in private schools. 
• Provide the needed services and support for children who are 3 years and older with learning and thinking differences, developmental delays, and other conditions. 
• Evaluate children they identify as possibly having a delay or disability.

Website for What Is Child Find | Understood

The first five years of a child’s life are very important. Healthy development forms a foundation for lifelong learning. Help Me Grow Kentucky is a free, confidential call center for families, health providers and community service providers offering developmental screening and connections to local services and learning activities that support healthy growth for children from birth to age 5.

Although there are many developmental screeners available, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is often the preferred choice for family child care homes! Fortunately, Help Me Grow Kentucky provides these screening tools online to quickly check a child’s development and identify strengths as well as areas in which he or she may need support.

Parents who have questions about their child’s development, behavior or learning can benefit from the Help Me Grow Kentucky support specialist who will help find answers. The more we know about a child’s growth and learning today, the more we can support his or her future success.

As a child care professional, you know how important it is to regularly check children’s development. Developmental screening is especially critical if, like many child care programs across the country, you’re seeking NAEYC accreditation or participating in a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) such as Kentucky All Stars. You’ll need to show that your program is conducting regular developmental screenings—and you’ll want to be sure you’re using the very best screener available. Using a valid, highly reliable screening tool like Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) is an important step toward higher QRIS scores!

ASQ is a parent-completed series of questionnaires for children ages one month to 5 ½ years old. Studies show that parents’ observations of their children are excellent predictors of developmental delays. Since parents are involved in the screening process, it makes the most of families’ in-depth knowledge and helps them become active partners in the screening process.

You can also complete ASQ to pinpoint children’s strengths and help identify children with developmental or social-emotional concerns. It only takes 10–15 minutes for parents/caregivers to complete and only 2–3 minutes to score. They’re fast and reader-friendly, and the tips and illustrations help you give the most accurate responses.

 ASQ helps you learn even more about child development. It helps to identify children that might be at risk for developmental delay. With ASQ’s clear picture of developmental norms at specific age intervals, you’ll expand and deepen your own knowledge about age-appropriate milestones.

Website for Child Care Programs - Ages and Stages

Steps for Teachers infographics can be found at: https://agesandstages.com/resource/eight-steps-teachers-using-asq-3-together-parents/

Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs - Cabinet for Health and Family Services (ky.gov)

Special Education Services - Kentucky Department of Education

Early Childhood Development - Kentucky Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics (kyaap.org)

View the WKU FCCN Training Calendar for more information and to register. 

Funded through Family Childcare Support Award SC 7362100001482

www.wku.edu/fccn