5 Questions About Developmental Screening—Answered by an Expert!

Developmental screening is a brief “snapshot” of a child’s current skills. Screening divides children into two groups: those who appear to be on track and those who appear to need follow up. It’s important to screen because the earlier a child receives needed help, the better the outcome. Screening should be done throughout the early childhood years to make sure a child is developing as they should.

Screening is an odd word. I think of screening as a way of “sifting” through lots and lots of children to find any that may need a little help to make sure they’re meeting their milestones on time. This sifting is important to find children who may need some extra help, as well as those who are typically developing and don’t need any help at this time.

Screening is best done in a universal way. This means that all young children between birth and school age should have their developmental skills looked at periodically in an objective way, using valid and reliable screening assessments, to figure out whether they need extra help and what areas they might need help in.

Parent-completed screeners are accurate and reliable when they are carefully constructed, with input from parents and other caregivers about what is important to them. If a screening measure asks about children’s current, observable behaviors, we know that parents are able to observe their child and report accurately about what they can and cannot do.

There are several benefits of using screeners completed by parents and other caregivers who know a child well. First, parents see their children across settings and observe them interacting with different people, so they have a good sense of what their child can do and what things they’re still learning. Parents also know how to get optimal behaviors from their child by making sure they are rested and comfortable and using toys and objects that are of interest. Finally, it’s been shown that parents learn as a result of completing developmental questionnaires, so they may be able to give their child better learning experiences as time goes on.

In most cases, the child will have a “typical” screening result, and programs should share this result soon after screening. If parents have concerns, and/or if the screening measure shows that a child’s milestones may not be on track, then the family and provider should discuss next steps together. In most cases, programs will suggest a referral to the early intervention or early childhood special education program for further assessment. This assessment might show the child is fine and should be screened again in four to six months. Or the assessment might suggest that the child should be referred for more supports and services to get their development back on track.

Talking with your child every day as you go through your regular routines is one of the best things to do. Ask your child questions, sing a song together, comment on what you’re seeing or doing, take your child outside and talk about what you see. In addition to talking, reading books to your child helps with their language, understanding of the world, and relating to other people and things.

If your child needs specific help, there are activities that accompany each of the ASQ questionnaires that can give you some ideas for fun games and things to play with together. The ASQ Learning Activities also give some specific games and play ideas by domain or area. Looking at the ASQ items that your child couldn’t yet do—like writing with a pencil or bouncing a ball—can also give you some ideas about which skills to practice.

There are also many websites that feature parenting activities. You might want to take a look at:

• Healthy Children
• NAEYC
• Zero to Three
• CDC
• Baby Center