Should I be regularly screening my child for Developmental concerns?

When you go to the pediatrician for your child’s 9, 18 and 36 month appointments, you’ll likely be asked to complete the Ages and Stages Developmental Questionnaire (ASQ). This questionnaire is used to gauge where your child is at developmentally and if any concerns should arise, your pediatrician can make referrals for services. However there is a large gap between 9, 18, 36 months and beyond. The ASQ actually has 30 developmental screeners between the ASQ-3 and the ASQ-SE:2 (social emotional); parents are missing out on a huge chunk of time where they could be screening their own children between the ages of 0-5 ½ years old. Parents can and should be taking their child’s development into their own hands with regular screenings with the ASQ’s.

Why is screening important?

Regular screening provides a fast and helpful look at how your child is doing in important areas like communication, social skills, motor skills, and problem-solving skills. Screening can identify your child’s strengths to celebrate, and reveal any areas where your child may need support. It helps you understand your child’s development and know what to look out for, for their next milestones. It also, helps you work with doctors and educators to plan next steps when it makes the most difference—your child’s critical first years of life. You are able to make informed decisions based on your child’s screen. Sometimes doctors will identify some concerns and reassure parents that their child will “grow out of it”, which may be true, but sometimes this leads to further delays later down the road.

It’s true that all children develop at different paces; some children begin walking at 9 months while others may not walk until 16 months, and that’s okay. But the important thing is completing the screen to identify any potential delays.

If there is a delay or a concern identified, then a referral can be made for additional assessments/services. Realistically, it’s better to be referred and assessed and not need it than to ignore a potential problem thinking it will go away on it’s own. As a parent, you are the expert on your child, if you’re gut is telling you that something is not right, don’t ignore it.

What the ASQ doesn’t do

The ASQ does not diagnose any disability or developmental delay-that requires different assessments. The ASQ only identifies a POTENTIAL developmental delay; it is not a diagnostic tool to recognize children who are at risk.

The goal

Help Me Grow Kenosha is advocating for universal ASQ screenings in Kenosha County; parents should be able to screen their child whenever they want at no cost to them. Parents should be prepared to advocate on their children’s behalf at the doctor’s office when they have concerns; having the ASQ results to back them up, rather than the doctor saying to “not worry about it”. Help Me Grow Kenosha’s goal is to identify all the children in Kenosha County who are at risk of developmental delays and get them connected to the services/community resources that they need to succeed.

Families can screen their children by going to the Help Me Grow Kenosha website: https://helpmegrowkenosha.org/developmental-information#screening

Or by downloading the Sparkler app and using Kenosha County’s code: HMGK when creating an account; Sparkler is available on ISO and Android