Developmental Screening in Early Childhood Systems

In March, 2009 Healthy Child Care America/Child Care and Health Partnership held a meeting to facilitate a discussion regarding developmental screening. This was an opportunity for several states to come together and share their successes as well as the barriers they have faced as they have tried to roll out statewide developmental screening initiatives. View this report for a summary of the day's events and next steps. Also visit the AAP National Center for Medical Home Implementation for additional information on developmental screening.

Learn the Signs, Act Early

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), in collaboration with a number of national partners, launched a public awareness campaign called “Learn the Signs. Act Early.”   The campaign aims to educate parents about childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders, and encourages developmental screening and intervention. 

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)

NIEER maintains an assessment database (accessed from the “Facts and Figures” tab on the NIEER homepage by selecting Assessment Database) that provides detailed information on the short list of early childhood measures categorized as “verified,” similar to that found at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) site. Much less information is given for “unverified” instruments. It does not provide much psychometric information but notes what information is available in instrument technical manuals. The site notes that much of its information was obtained from test publishers and other databases, including Buros, ETS, and ERIC. (The ERIC database is no longer supported, but refers users to the ETS database.)

Presentation Handouts: Developmental Screening for Early Childhood Systems

This presentation, given at the National Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC) 2010 annual conference. The presentation included information from the "Developmental Screening in Early Childhood Systems" report on how to overcome barriers to implementing developmental screening initiatives and how early education and child care settings can connect with a child’s
medical home.

Information on Medical Home

Every child deserves a medical home. The AAP describes the medical home as a model of delivering primary care that is accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective. Over the past year, the AAP has been at the forefront of numerous initiatives to promote the adoption and spread of the patient-centered medical home.