Pediatric "Developmental Monitoring and Screening for Health Professionals" From The CDC With Additional Resources

Here is a link to Developmental Monitoring and Screening for Health Professionals from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And here are some excerpts from the page:

If a child has a developmental delay, it is important to identify it early so that the child and family can receive needed intervention services and support. Healthcare providers play a critical role in monitoring children’s growth and development and identifying problems as early as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that healthcare providers do the following:

Monitor the child’s development at each visit.

Periodically screen children with validated tools to identify any areas of concern that may require a further examination or evaluation.

Ensure that more comprehensive developmental evaluations are completed if risks are identified.

Developmental Monitoring*

Developmental monitoring, also called developmental surveillance, is the process of recognizing children who might be at risk for developmental delays¹. [It is done at every well baby and well child visit. It is less formal than Developmental Screening]

Developmental Screening

All children should be screened using a validated test during well-child visits at 9, 18, 24, and 30 months even if there are no concerns. Healthcare providers may screen a child more frequently if there are additional risk factors, such as preterm birth, low birthweight, and lead exposure, among others. Developmental screening is more in-depth than monitoring and may identify children with a developmental risk that was not identified during developmental monitoring.

*Here is the link to Developmental Surveillance Resources for Healthcare Providers webpage.

Here is the link to Developmental Milestones webpage.

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move (crawling, walking, etc.).

Click on the age of your child to see the milestones:

2 months

4 months

6 months

9 months

1 year

18 months

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

Print the milestone checklists (PDF)

Download the Milestone Tracker mobile app

View the Milestones in Action photo and video library

“Learn the signs. Act early.” materials are not a substitute for standardized, validated developmental screening tools.