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Developmental, sensory screenings needed for young children, First Things First says

Posted 8/2/21

As Arizona’s early childhood agency, First Things First recognizes that while every child develops at their own pace, developmental and sensory screenings are a way parents can learn about …

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Neighbors

Developmental, sensory screenings needed for young children, First Things First says

Posted

As Arizona’s early childhood agency, First Things First recognizes that while every child develops at their own pace, developmental and sensory screenings are a way parents can learn about their child’s development.

Screenings can also catch concerns that can point to a delay or possible disability, according to a release.

“Screenings are important because they identify delays and allow parents to connect with support services,” FTF Senior Director for Children’s Health Vincent Torres said in the release. “They promote positive childhood health and development and readiness for school.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians talk with families about their child’s development at every well-child visit between birth and 3 years old, and conduct developmental screenings at nine, 18 and 30 months of age.

Dr. Elizabeth Homans McKenna, co-founder of Healing Hearts Pediatrics, which has offices in Gilbert, Queen Creek and Chandler, said her offices provide developmental screenings for children starting at 2 months old to age 5.

“Developmental screenings are very helpful as sometimes concerns are missed or not picked up on, just by talking and examining the patient. They also allow parents to note concerns that they may have a difficult time verbalizing,” said McKenna. “Developmental screenings are valuable because they assess the expected developmental stage for a child at a certain age and can reveal if a child is falling behind on developmental milestones.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many families put off well-child visits for their young child, Torres said, causing these regular screenings to have been missed.

But another problem arises if a health provider is understaffed and doesn’t have time to conduct the basic screenings that parents assume are happening, said Esther Turner, a senior program coordinator for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Pinal County, which provides developmental and sensory screenings.

Data shows that for many children, even before the pandemic, those screenings were not happening. For example, the 2018-19 National Survey of Children’s Health found that only 28% of Arizona parents surveyed said that they were asked by a health care provider to complete a developmental screening tool about their young child in the past year.

Programs like the Cooperative Extension try to fill the gap by offering screenings conducted by staff working with a variety of parenting education or family support services in the community. They also do screenings in some preschool classrooms.

“Kids don’t know any better, and they can’t tell you what they don’t know,” said Turner, whose FTF-funded program provides developmental and sensory screenings for young children in Pinal and Gila counties. “They only know what they’ve seen or heard their entire life.”

In addition, there’s a fear or stigma for parents when talking about developmental screenings.

“We’re not looking for problems,” Turner said. “Instead, we explain to parents that we’re looking to show you ‘this is normal development. Your kiddo is right now, on target.’”

“We want parents to be comfortable and let them know that they are the expert on their child,” Turner said. “The parent sees the child throughout the day. They are the expert, and by letting them be a part of the process, they feel active in their child’s development and growth.”

And if the screening shows an area of concern, then the parent is referred to the child’s pediatrician for additional screenings or intervention.

“When children are falling behind in their development in certain areas, we can give them activities which will help them develop in those areas,” McKenna said. “In addition, if a child is lagging significantly behind, we can refer them to community agencies such as the AZ Early Intervention Program, which can help the child with therapies such as speech, occupational or physical therapy to help optimize development.”

It’s also important to provide vision and hearing screenings early on, the release states.

“It is crucial to pick up vision difficulties because children need to be able to see well to learn — particularly when they start preschool and elementary school,” McKenna said. “Similarly, hearing screenings, which are done at birth and again in the preschool years are important to pick up deficiencies in hearing that can affect a child’s language and learning. Providing this help early in the first three years of life is key to helping children attain their optimal development and thrive in school and in life.”

Monitor development

If you are a parent or caregiver of a child 5 and younger, you can make a difference by monitoring your child’s physical, mental, social and emotional development and discussing your observations with your health care provider, the release states.

“Remember that all children develop at different rates. What is typical for other children may not be the same for yours. There are a couple of resources to help parents and caregivers identify concerns regarding their child’s development and make the most of those early doctor visits,” the release states.

The first is the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, which parents can complete online. It includes a series of questions regarding your child’s development and behavior. The results of the questionnaire are emailed to parents within a couple of weeks and are intended to be used to follow up with a health provider regarding any identified issues. Free access to the questionnaire is available through Easterseals’ Make the First Five Count website, easterseals.com/mtffc under Take the Screening.

FTF provides a digital Ages and Stages guide to help families know if their child is meeting typical developmental milestones — the things most children can do by a certain age. How their child plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves offers important clues. Available in both English and Spanish, it is adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ages and Stages guides.

Another resource is the free, statewide Birth to 5 Helpline (1-877-705-5437). There, nurses and developmental experts will give tips on which milestones your child should have achieved for their age and help you decide if a follow up with your health provider is needed.

“We have the chance to help children learn properly and not having them have to relearn once they’re in kindergarten,” Turner said. “These are things that people think can wait until kindergarten, but we have five good years. Let’s get it right for them from the beginning.”

About First Things First

As Arizona’s early childhood agency, First Things First funds early learning, family support and children’s preventive health services to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. Decisions about how those funds are spent are made by local councils staffed by community volunteers. Go to FirstThingsFirst.org.