Prenatal & PostnatalDo You Have Any Concerns About Your Child’s Learning, Development or Behavior? Make sure your child is checked with a high-quality screening tool!
Most doctors just “eyeball” young children, rather than use a screening tool, to assess how well they are doing developmentally. But these doctors miss more than half the kids who have behavioral, learning or developmental problems! Don’t let your child be one of these statistics!
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, three “excellent” screening tools for young children – under age 8 – are:
These top-notch short tools ask questions about your child and what he is or isn’t doing. You are the best expert on your own child – and your answers provide the best information about whether your child is doing fine or you need to go a step further. Every time you use one of these tools, you become a better informed parent and better able to tell the doctor what he or she needs to know.
Unfortunately, few pediatricians use any formal screening instrument at all. Seven out of 10 rely on their clinical judgments – even though this method identifies less than 30% of children with mental retardation, learning disabilities, language impairments, autism, and other developmental disabilities, and less than 50% of children with serious emotional and behavioral disturbances. However, pediatricians who use one of these three high-quality screening tools identify more than 70% of children with learning, developmental or behavioral problems.
Take this article to your doctor and urge him or her to screen your young child with one of the three good, quick and easy tools the American Academy of Pediatrics says are “excellent.” If they have not heard about these tests, suggest they look at the American Academy of Pediatrics website on developmental pediatrics (www.dbpeds.org) or the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (www.nectac.org).
If your child does have a problem, the sooner you identify it and get needed help, the better her chances of overcoming or at least minimizing it. Your doctor, your school system, health agencies and nonprofit organizations can all help you find resources and services.
High-Quality Screening Tools on the Web
*Margaret Dunkle is Senior Fellow with the Center for Health Services Research & Policy at George Washington University. This article, the first of a five-part series, Tips for Parent, is reproduced with her permission. Future articles will address: Speech & Language Milestones in Young Children, Activities to Build Your Child’s Speech & Language Skills, 11 Tips for Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten, and 12 More Tips for Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten.
