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updates to the cdc’s early childhood developmental milestones sparks concern

new guidelines for child development has professionals worried that kids won’t be getting help when they need it.

updates to the cdc’s early childhood developmental milestones sparks concern
regardless of the developmental chart used, parents should trust their gut and seek out advice is they have concerns. getty
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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she adds that historically, the guidelines state children should have at least 50 words by 24 months but the update has moved the skill to 30 months before parents should be concerned — a change that could result in some children falling through the cracks.
“that six-month period is so precious to a child’s brain development,” she says. “to miss that time is a travesty.”

the cdc says that the changes shouldn’t result in delayed treatment as they are designed to encourage more clear, open conversations regarding childhood development. the decision to seek treatment should come as a result of these conversations between caregivers and healthcare providers who are more closely acquainted with the nuances of the individual child.

“cdc has not lowered the standards of early childhood development,” reads a cdc statement provided to healthing . “cdc’s milestones are not developmental screening tools, nor are they new standards or guidelines; they are communication tools that aim to promote developmental monitoring and to encourage conversations between parents, doctors, and early childhood providers about child development.”

the update also introduced new checklists for children aged 15 and 30 months, added more social milestones and eliminated duplicate milestones that were causing confusion. the checklist now includes open-ended questions intended to encourage conversations between caregivers and health care providers. evidence for developmental milestones were also reviewed and milestones without sufficient modern evidence were removed.

while the review for developmental milestones was conducted by eight subject-matter experts including “developmental-behavioural, neurodevelopmental, and general pediatricians; child and developmental psychologists; and a professor of special education and early intervention,” dwyer points out the aap did not consult specific bodies like the american speech and hearing association.

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canadian developmental milestones

resources provided by the canadian paediatric society include the rourke baby record , a scale developed by drs. leslie and james rourke, professors emeriti of family medicine at the memorial university of newfoundland. it was originally created in 1979, and has seen multiple reviews since its inception, the most recent update in january 2020.

the rourke baby record provides “evidence-based infant/child health maintenance guides i to iv (birth to 5 years),” an immunization record and prompts for conversations regarding safety, education, and concern.
regardless of the developmental chart used, parents should trust their gut and seek out advice is they have concerns, says dwyer.
“whether their child is meeting the milestone or just falling ahead or just falling behind, we say go with your gut. if you’re concerned, just reach out and get an evaluation because it can’t hurt.”
emma jones is a multimedia editor with healthing. you can reach her at emjones@postmedia.com or on twitter @jonesyjourn
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