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Frequently Asked Questions What is meant by "development" and "developmental delay"?
What is meant by “development” and “developmental delay”? In this context, “development” refers to a child’s learning, activities and behaviors. It is often broken into specific areas of:
Sometimes a child may have a “developmental delay,” which can mean a number of things. In general, it means that in one or more areas of development, the child does not perform activities as well as the average child of the same age. This may be temporary, and in time, the child will ‘catch up.’ In other cases, there may be an underlying disability. Either way, most children greatly benefit from intervention, and the earlier the better!
What is developmental screening? Screening is a quick way to look at a large number of children. The purpose of “screening” a child’s development is to detect any kind of “developmental delay” in cases where there are not obvious signs of such. As with medical screenings, the results are not definitive and cannot be used to make a diagnosis; however, they may indicate a need for more in-depth assessment in one or more areas of development. When a delay is detected by a screening, it means that intervention can be provided earlier than if one waited for more obvious signs to appear.
What is meant by “Standardized Developmental Screening Tool”? A “standardized developmental screening tool” is one that is based on the results of studying a large number of children to be able to identify the average developmental abilities of children in a particular age range. Rather than different people using their own way of measuring and classifying a child’s development, a standardized tool means that every child is being held to the same standards. This helps professionals understand and communicate the results with each other. Examples of these are the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS).
Why is developmental screening important? The earlier intervention is provided, the better chance a child has of making significant strides in improvement. Screening might highlight a possible delay in instances where none was suspected, or where a parent or caregiver might have begun to have concerns. In either case, early intervention may mean that more serious delay(s) can be avoided. Even when there are no developmental delays, the use of a screening tool can be helpful in structuring discussions between parents and health care providers or child care providers about a child’s development. Using a screening tool means that the care provider gets more than a snapshot of your child. You know your child best and can provide valuable information about his or her abilities and behaviors.
Does my health care provider use a developmental screening tool? When you take your child for his or her regular well-check visits, do you fill out a questionnaire, answering questions about your child’s activities and behaviors? Doctors, physicians’ assistants, and nurses are of course observing your child during the visit, and some use a list of questions appropriate to the child’s age. This is not the same as using a developmental screening tool such as the ASQ (Ages and Stages Questionnaire) or PEDS (Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status). If you aren’t sure, ask! If you would like to tell your child’s health care provider about the ABCD Program, which can help him or her begin to use a standardized developmental screening tool, you can share this brochure with the office [Click to download pdf], and/or direct them to this website to contact the ABCD team.
Your child’s health care provider will be able to discuss the specifics with you. A developmental screening tool compares the average performance of children in a particular age range. The tools express the results in different ways but basically the results indicate either that the child is progressing well, or that a more in-depth assessment should be done. This assessment may be in all areas of development, or in a particular area, depending on the age of the child, the screening results, and the opinions of the parents and professionals involved. The results do NOT mean that the child has a delay or disability. A more in-depth assessment will be able to either rule out these possibilities, or provide a basis by which support can be offered.
If the results of the screen indicate that a referral needs to be made, then what happens? Referrals can be made to specialists, such as physical, occupational or speech therapists, who will provide services in their particular area of expertise. Referrals can also be made to local Early Intervention or Child Find agencies, who will work with the family to develop a plan for a range of appropriate services based on the child’s (and family’s) needs. The type of insurance a family has impacts services that can be obtained from specialists, either private or those connected with a hospital. Families do not pay for services through Early Intervention or Child Find/Special Education.
Click here to visit the Early Intervention Colorado for a description of the program and more. A significant difference between the Child Find, or Special Ed, system and Early Intervention (EI) program is that EI services are provided based on the family’s needs, in settings where the child naturally spends time; whereas Special Ed services are provided in a school environment.
Child Find is a federally mandated process by which states “locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of Early Intervention Program (Part C) or Preschool Special Education (Part B/619) services.” Because Early Intervention specifically addresses families with children up to the age of three years, sometimes ‘Child Find’ is used to refer to the program that assesses school-age children and addresses their needs through the Special Education services of the public school system. |
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