the cdc has updated the guidelines for early childhood development, prompting concern from parent groups and allied health professionals who say the new guidelines could result in delayed treatment. one of the key changes causing concern among some healthcare providers is the decision to change the threshold for
developmental milestones. previously, recommended milestones used an “average-age” metric, meaning that only 50 per cent of children were expected to perform these skills by the listed age. this led to some clinicians and families taking a wait and see approach, which wasn’t helpful in instances where there were concerns about a child’s development,
according to the american academy of pediatrics (aap).
the new milestones are based on skills that 75 per cent of children are expected to have developed by the target age, which the organizations say will make it easier for parents to identify concerns.
but for brooke dwyer, ccc-slp, a speech language pathologist in california, while the cdc has done a good job making the guidelines more accessible to caregivers, she is concerned pushing some thresholds back may result in delayed treatment.
“they upped the ante, but then they lowered the benchmark,” says dwyer. “the [children] who are significantly delayed are going to be seen, but the kiddos who are on the cusp, and a lot of them are at that age…our fear is that [the parents will] wait and see.”
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