Partnering for Success 2013
Developmental Screening Results: Follow-Up with Families
LEARN EARLY. LEARN FOR LIFE.
Office of Early Learning
Presented at 2013 Partnering for Success Meeting Orlando, Florida
What is Developmental Screening?
Screening is a process to check children’s development across all developmental domains.
- Language
- Cognitive
- Motor
- Sensory
- Social-Emotional
When developmental screening is done as part of childcare services, it allows professionals and parents to monitor and support targeted skill growth over time through the infant, toddler and preschool years.
Office of Early Learning
Phases in Screening Process
- Administer and Score Questionnaire
- Identify Follow-Up Based on Cutoff Scores
- Determine Type of Follow-Up Needed
- Discuss Results and Referral with Family
- Refer Child to Appropriate Agency
- Assist Family in Contacting Referral Agency
Developmental Screening Results
Administer and Score Screening Questionnaire – Recommended Schedule
- Birth to 24 months, screening every 4–6 months is adequate.
- 2–3 years, every 6 months is adequate unless a delay is suspected.
- 4–5 years, once or twice yearly is usually adequate unless concerns are present.
Children of any age whose scores are near the cut-off points should be rescreened in 2–3 months.
Determine Type of Follow-Up Needed
No Areas of Concern
- Scores above cut-off points
- Parent and provider expectations for child match
- Provide parent with handouts and activities to encourage overall skill growth
- Rescreen at appropriate schedule
Gray Areas of Concern
- Scores are in the monitoring zone near cut-off points
- Parents and providers implement specific developmental activities related to areas of concern
- Refer to health care provider or other community resources
- Rescreen 3 months
3 or more Black Areas of Concern
- Scores are at or below cut-off points in 3 or more domains
- Screen for social-emotional development
- Provide parent with information about areas of concern and recommend referral to EI/ECSE for evaluation
- Consult with parents to determine if they want to make contact with referral source or prefer provider to make referral for further assessment
Discuss Results with Family
- Share results in person, by phone or in writing (paper or email) in a family-friendly tone.
- Highlight child strengths first and then any areas of concern.
- Provide parents with ideas for games and activities to support their child’s needs and interests.
- Tell them when another screen will be administered.
- Review the purpose of screening.
- Expect questions even with typical results.
- Make them feel they are part of a team.
Referring Child for Further Evaluation
- Find private setting to talk with parents confidentially
- Ask family about their concerns about their child
- Review results using terms related to cutoff scores
- Discuss influencing factors such as health, language, or environment
- Emphasize parents’ skills and resources to work with their child
- Explain screening does not assess or diagnose their child
- Provide specific, non-judgmental examples of concerns noted
- Provide information about referral services and options
- Determine if parents will contact referral or they prefer you make referral
In Summary…
- Sharing children’s screening results with families is an opportunity to highlight their child’s strengths and special qualities.
- Discussing developmental screening results with parents can help bridge trust and communication with providers.
- Always consider outside factors in the child’s life (health, language or environmental issues) when areas of concern are noted and re-screen within 2-3 months to check results found earlier.