Developmental delay screening
All health professionals who see infants and children for well-child visits should watch for early signs of developmental disorders. Developmental screening tools can help assess behaviour.
A child should immediately be evaluated if a health professional discovers obvious signs of developmental delays, such as:1
- No babbling, pointing, or other gestures by 12 months.
- Saying no single words by 16 months.
- Saying no two-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months, with the exception of repeating repeated phrases (echolalia).
- Any loss of any language or social skills at any age.
If there are no obvious signs of developmental delays or any unusual indications from the screening tests, most infants or children do not need further evaluation until the next well-child visit.
However, a child who has a sibling with autism should continue to be closely monitored. In addition to the evaluations at well-child visits, these children should undergo testing for language delays, learning problems, poor socialization skills, and any symptoms that might suggest they have anxiety or depression.1
When socialization, learning, or behaviour problems develop in a person at any time or at any age, he or she should be evaluated.
| Author: | Debby Golonka, MPH Carrie Henley | Last Updated: August 31, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics | |
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