How Important Are Developmental Monitoring & Screening?

Every child goes through an expected set of progress and developmental milestones. These expectations prepare child care experts and parents for the proper care and oversight of the little one’s wellbeing. Being a trusted provider of quality child care in Vineland, New Jersey, we advocate for the diligent practice of developmental monitoring and screening of children.

In this post, let’s take a look into these items a little bit closer.

Developmental Monitoring

This practice involves observing and tracking your infant’s progress since birth. As your child goes through significant changes reflective of their age, they will be evaluated whether the changes have met the expectations of their age bracket’s development. These developmental milestones include their progress in movements, speaking, behavior, and playing.

Not only are parents responsible for monitoring your child’s development. When you also place them in a day care center, their child care providers can help you monitor their progress. In fact, as parents, you need all the support you can get in monitoring your child’s development.

To monitor whether your child is developing as expected, you need to refer to their expected milestones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also provided this list of developmental milestones, which you can utilize as reference to monitor your child. During your well-baby visits, your child’s pediatrician will also ask you relevant questions to assess and verify your child’s developmental progress.

The importance of this monitoring enables you to identify whether your child is developing normally and to find out early solutions should delays be spotted. It also equips you into becoming a more courageous parent when it comes to pursuing interventions that will be for your child’s best interests.

Developmental Screening

While the screening phase is closely associated with the monitoring activity, it is actually a method of taking a closer look at your child’s overall development. Although it doesn’t necessarily follow in this progression, developmental screening is typically conducted when delays have been observed during the monitoring activities.

With developmental screening, your child will undergo a series of tests, and you will be going over a set of questionnaires regarding your child’s progress. These tests and questionnaires have undergone rigorous research and study in order to fully assess whether your child is gaining the normal pace of development or not. Screening tests can be conducted by pediatricians, nurses, or child care providers.

The recommended ages of developmental screening are usually when the child reaches 9 months, 18 months, and 24 or 30 months. Developmental screening is also encouraged for infants who have been born prematurely or those born with certain risks of their overall development.

What’s in it for you?

At DiBiase Baby Steps, we hope that these resources have equipped you towards a more quality parenting experience. Know that we’re still here to support you especially in providing quality early childhood education in New Jersey. We have programs for younger children from 0 to 3 years old.

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