All News & StoriesThe American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated the developmental milestone guidelines for their Learn the Signs. Act Early program, which helps parents track their child’s development and identify possible developmental delays. This is the first time the AAP and CDC updated the guidelines since their launch in 2005.
Why did they make changes?
In the program, the CDC provides developmental checklists, familiar to many parents as a tool for pediatrician checkups. These checklists previously used 50th percentile milestones. That meant that only half of children were expected to achieve the milestones at a given age. Now, the revised checklists will include milestones that 75% or more of children can expect to achieve at a given age. This helps to eliminate unnecessary confusion and alarm, while also identifying children who may need additional evaluation and resources.
While these changes have caused a lot of chatter in the community, it is important to understand the purpose behind these changes. Dr. Pajek, pediatric psychologist, states, “The 50% marker wasn’t particularly helpful because it left such a wide gap between children on the verge of achieving certain milestones and those well behind where they’re expected to be.” Many kids fall between the cracks because of the “wait and see” approach. With the changes, we can now focus on connecting the most vulnerable children to early intervention services during the most critical period of brain development.
According to Dr. Paul H. Lipkin, a member of the AAP Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and Council on Children with Disability, “The earlier a child is identified with a developmental delay the better, as treatment as well as learning interventions can begin.”
Changes to the guidance
- New checklists for ages 15 and 30 months; now there is a checklist for every well-child visit from two months to five years.
- Additional social and emotional milestones (e.g., smiles on their own to get your attention, age four months)
- Removes vague language like “may” or “begins” when referring to certain milestones
- Removes duplicate milestones
- Provides new, open-ended questions that professionals can use in discussions with families (e.g., Is there anything that your child does or does not do that concerns you?)
- Revises and expands tips and activities for supporting a child’s development
- Tracks your child’s development
There are several ways you can utilize the CDC Milestones tools, including through their website, an easy-to-use milestones tracker app, and through our resource center. The CDC also launched a printable digital checklist to use during conversations with pediatricians and early interventionists. This online tool replaced the PDF checklists on their website.
Questions or concerns?
Our team of family specialists are in your corner, every step of the way. If you need help navigating your child’s development, a behavioral issue, or just a hand to hold, we are here. Fill out our family information form or call 317.636.5727 to get connected.
Schering, Steve. “CDC, AAP Update Developmental Milestones for Surveillance Program.” Publications.aap.org, February 8, 2022. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/19554/CDC-AAP-update-developmental-milestones-.
