Developmental Screenings

One major concern on the mind of nearly every parent on the face of this earth is the question of whether his/her child is developing normally. I remember that as a new mom I would scour through books to see what benchmarks my newborn should be meeting each month.

What we quickly find out, however, is that there really is no “normal” as every child seems to develop at a different pace. When Big Brother was just 2 months old, I was fully convinced he was hearing impaired. He barely passed his hearing test at the hospital (in fact, he failed it the first time) and would not startle or wake up for VERY loud sounds (i.e. his crazy mother beating pots and pans by his bedside to ‘test’ his hearing). After driving his doctor crazy with my concerns, we scheduled another screening with an audiologist when he was just 9 weeks old. As it turns out, his hearing was just fine. He was just a REALLY sound sleeper.

This isn’t always the case, however. Sometimes our concerns can lead us to discover that there might be some developmental delays. As parents, it is our job to be an advocate for our child. And the best way that we can advocate for them is by educating ourselves and taking action when necessary. Early intervention can make a world of difference for a child with developmental delays!

Thankfully, there are a wide variety of resources that can help us (as parents) evaluate how our child is progressing developmentally. First and foremost, our child’s doctor, either a pediatrician or family physician, should be the first person we go to when seeking information or advice on our child’s development.

Beyond that, I have also used all of these books and found them to be helpful, although the first is the most comprehensive:

In addition, our Your Baby, Month-by-Month Posts can be a helpful resource for birth through 7 months.

If after looking over a list of developmental milestones in any of the above sources you begin to have some concerns, I would encourage you to do 2 things: (1) talk to your doctor and (2) sign your child up for a developmental screening. A developmental screening is almost always free and is simply a tool to make sure that your child is on track.

Even if you do not feel like your child has any delays, but you would like reassurance, developmental screenings are a great tool! Both of my boys seemed to be developing normally, but I had some questions regarding different areas for each child. They both went through the initial developmental screening process at my request and I was relieved to know that they were both right on track!

If there are some legitimate delays found by the individual conducting the screening, however, he/she will be able to provide you with resources and expertise to help your child. Early intervention is key in helping your child with developmental delays!

The following contact information comes directly from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). These resources are for children birth to 3 years old. If you have a child older than this, you’ll want to look at the Preschool Resources for each state.

Alabama:
Alabama’s Early Intervention System

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New York:
Bureau of Early Intervention

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West Virginia:
West Virginia Birth to Three