Moving and Grooving: Knowing the signs of potential physical development delays
May 10, 2021 Sara Silva-STARS Coach, Child Care Connections
All children develop in different ways and at their very own pace. At the same time, with the importance of early intervention, we need to be aware of typical child development and potential red flags.
Many of us who work with infants and toddlers have at some point watched a little one moving and wondered, “Is that in the continuum of typical development?” The American Academy of Pediatrics has taken some of the guesswork away with their new online resource that includes little video clips of typical and atypical physical development.
You begin by choosing a physical development activity (such as holding the head up, walking, etc.) and then you can access a list of signs of developmental delays within that activity by the child’s age. Some specific delays even include illustrative video clips. This tool serves as a starting point for beginning to have conversations with families and the child’s pediatrician.
Many of us do not have the educational background to diagnose or state that a child is or is not experiencing a delay, but we can share what we are observing with families. For tips on having conversations with families about your concerns visit this resource from the CDC. The CDC also has developmental milestone checklists (across multiple domains of development) that are free to print by children’s ages.
Links to Resources:
- healthychildren.org – Does My Child Have Physical Development Delays: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/MotorDelay/Pages/default.aspx#/
- Tips for Talking with Parents: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/tipstalkingparents.pdf
- CDC’s Developmental Milestones: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
