Developmental milestones
Skills such as smiling for the first time, sitting up alone and learning to use language to communicate are called developmental milestones. The resources in this section provide overviews on child developmental milestones, which can assist in determining whether a child in your life or professional practice has the abilities of a typical child the same age. This section also provides basic checklists for parents and other caregivers to use in determining whether a child needs developmental screening.
Resources
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through its "Learn the Signs. Act Early" campaign, provides a variety of child development resources, such as developmental milestones lists and, on the same webpage, a milestones checklist to assist in recording a child's skills and abilities at various ages.
- First Signs, Inc., a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating parents and pediatric professionals about the early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders, includes a Hallmark Developmental Milestones webpage.
- The Unicorn Children’s Foundation offers Healthy Milestones information with skills categorized by age ranges.
- The ASD Video Glossary, a web-based tool developed by the FIRST WORDS Project and First Signs, Inc., explains the basic characteristics of autism and shows examples of behaviors of concern to help parents and professionals spot the early red flags for autism.
- About.com provides an online Autism Screening Quiz that can help parents determine whether enough signs exist to warrant seeking medical assistance.
Updated: August 2, 2011