Learn the Signs. Act Early.: Monitoring Child Development Milestones

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) program to promote early identification of developmental delays in children. This program emphasizes the importance of monitoring how children play, learn, speak, act, and move, as these actions provide important clues about their development.

The Importance of Monitoring Child Development

Children's growth is typically monitored by tracking their weight and height. However, monitoring developmental milestones - how they play, learn, speak, act, and move for their age - is equally important for ensuring healthy development of a child’s mind and body.

Developmental milestones are skills that emerge over time, building a foundation for more advanced skills. For example, a child progresses from saying single words to combining two words, and eventually speaking in short sentences. While children develop at their own pace, milestones generally appear by a certain age and in a predictable sequence. These milestones serve as markers of typical development.

Learn the Signs. Act Early. (LTSAE) Program

The Learn the Signs. Act Early. (LTSAE) program, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aims to increase parent-engaged developmental monitoring of children’s development and encourage early action when concerns arise.

Goals of LTSAE

Increase awareness: Educate parents and caregivers about developmental milestones.
Promote early action: Encourage parents to address concerns promptly.
Facilitate conversations: Support discussions between families and professionals.

Key Components of LTSAE

The LTSAE program provides various resources to support developmental monitoring:

Read also: Learn Forex Trading

Milestone checklists: These checklists outline the skills and abilities most children should exhibit by specific ages, from 2 months to 5 years.
Family-friendly tools: Resources designed to be easily understood and used by parents and caregivers.
Educational materials: Information on typical development and when to seek professional advice.

How to Use "Learn the Signs. Act Early."

For Parents and Caregivers

Learn the Signs: Familiarize yourself with the developmental milestones for your child’s age.
Monitor Development: Observe your child’s play, learning, speech, behavior, and movement.
Act Early: If you have concerns, don't wait. Talk to your child's doctor, share your concerns, and ask about developmental screening.

Tips and Activities to Support Child Development

Engage in pretend play: Encourage your child's imagination with dress-up clothes, pots and pans, or blocks. Join in their games.
Read with your child: Help your child learn about colors, shapes, and sizes.
Encourage communication: Help your child use words to ask for things and solve problems.
Teach about emotions: Help your child learn about others' feelings and positive ways to react.
Use positive reinforcement: Give attention to behaviors you want to see.
Provide choices: Offer simple, healthy choices for your child to make.
Play with others: Encourage your child to play with other children to learn sharing and friendship.
Eat meals together: Let your child see you enjoying healthy foods.
Establish a bedtime routine: Avoid screen time before bed and ensure consistent sleep times.
Answer "why" questions: Take time to answer your child's questions and explore answers together.
Count together: Count simple things to help your child learn about numbers.
Teach problem-solving: Allow your child to solve problems with friends, offering support if needed.
Use descriptive language: Use words like "first," "second," and "finally" to help your child understand the order of events.
Comfort fears: Talk about your child's fears and help them find ways to cope.
Play games: Play simple games like Tic-Tac-Toe or matching games.
Engage in active play: Make time for active play each day, letting your child choose the activity.
Encourage empathy: Help your child notice when they hurt someone's feelings and encourage them to apologize.
Visit the library: Let your child pick out books.
Limit screen time: Restrict screen time to no more than 1 hour per day of a children's program with an adult present.

For Health Care Providers

Use Milestone Checklists: Print and provide the milestone checklists at every health maintenance visit. Checklists are available at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 15 months, 18 months, 2 years, 30 months, 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years.
Promote Family Engagement: Encourage family-engaged developmental monitoring as part of developmental surveillance.
Provide Education: Educate families about how children develop and engage them in monitoring.
Connect to Services: Ensure families can access needed services and further consultation if there are concerns.

When to Act Early

"Learn the Signs. Act Early." emphasizes the importance of acting early if you have concerns about your child's development. Don't wait. If your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns, act early.

Talk to Your Doctor: Share your concerns and ask about developmental screening.
Seek Specialist Referral: If you or the doctor are still concerned, ask for a referral to a specialist who can evaluate your child further.
Call Early Intervention: Contact your state or territory's early intervention program to find out if your child can get services to help.

Virtual Tools for Promoting Developmental Monitoring

Between 2020 and 2022, ASPHN developed and worked with Technical Assistance states to test and provide feedback on virtual tools for promoting developmental monitoring within WIC. They also created a campaign to promote the products to additional states.

Revised Milestone Checklists (2022)

In February 2022, LTSAE released revised developmental milestone checklists, with the following goals:

Offer a checklist for every age at which there is an AAP recommended health supervision visit between 2 months and 5 years old.
Assign milestones to ages when most children (i.e., about 75% or more) would be expected to exhibit them.
Incorporate feedback from parents and early childhood professionals to improve the checklists.

The revised checklists aim to clarify when to act early and decrease a "wait and see" approach. They include open-ended questions to encourage sharing of concerns and additional tips and activities to strengthen developmental promotion.

The Role of Nutrition

Good nutrition is essential for the healthy development of a child’s mind and body. Children’s growth is monitored by checking their weight and height, while their development is tracked by looking for developmental milestones.

Read also: Understanding the Heart

LTSAE and WIC

In 2018, ASPHN began helping states replicate LTSAE’s WIC model into their state’s WIC clinics. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.

Understanding Developmental Surveillance and Screening

Developmental surveillance is a continuous process recommended at every well-child visit, while developmental screening involves using validated screening tools at strategic time points in early childhood. Together, they are more likely to identify children with developmental disabilities.

Addressing Barriers to Early Identification

Some barriers to the early identification of children with DDs are infrequent contact with health care providers (e.g., lack of a medical home), insufficient routine developmental screening, lack of coordination between early childhood systems, and inconsistent referral practices and eligibility criteria.

Read also: Guide to Female Sexual Wellness

tags: #cdc #learn #the #signs #act #early