Child Development

National and Multistate Research Efforts on or Related to Developmental Screening

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Periodic Survey of Fellows This survey queries pediatricians about their attitudes and practices on a wide range of current child health topics. Three or four surveys are conducted per year, each mailed to a unique random sample of approximately 1600 active, US members of the AAP.
  
  Sample Finding “Pediatricians who are reimbursed predominantly by Medicaid, serve minority families, and practice in urban cities are less likely to refer families to several community-based health services.”
  Website http://www.aap.org/research/surv1.htm
   

• Annual Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) Report EPSDT is Medicaid’s comprehensive and preventive child health program for individuals under the age of 21, which includes periodic screening for developmental delays and anticipatory guidance for parents. The annual report documents, for each state, the number of children provided child health screening services, initial or periodic screening, and referrals for treatment.
  
  Sample Finding Only about one-third of US children who are eligible for EPSDT receive these checkups.
  Website http://cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/epsdt/default.asp
   

• National Survey of Early Childhood Health (NSECH) From the parents or guardians who are primarily responsible for the health of a child in the home, NSECH recently collected information on a random sample of young children (ages 4 through 35months). This survey is a module of the State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS). It collects information mostly on the health-related concerns and needs of parents and children, the quality of developmental and psychosocial care received, factors associated with quality pediatric care, and home health behaviors.
  
  Sample Finding Only 35% of surveyed parents reported that their child had been asked by their health care provider to pick up small objects or do related tasks that would suggest that a developmental assessment was done.
  Website http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/slaits/nsech.htm
   

• Promoting Healthy Development Survey (PHDS-PLUS) By interviewing parents of children four years-of-age and under, this survey, by the Foundation for Accountability, seeks to measure how well pediatric clinicians provide child development health care services.
  
  Sample Finding Only 46% of parents who reported potentially serious concerns to their healthcare provider also reported getting the information they needed to address these concerns.
  Website http://www.facct.org/facct/site/facct/facct/home

Gaps in our knowledge on Developmental Screening

Although the above datasets have provided, and continue to provide, important information on developmental screening, there is no survey that follows children from screening to intervention. Therefore, we are lacking data on the effects of screening for further assessment and intervention implementation. This leaves us with little data on the outcomes of developmental screening.

Other gaps in our knowledge relate to meeting the requirements of federally mandated services, such as EPSDT, Child Find, and early interventions. Better evaluation of these programs is needed to identify the barriers and increase accountability for providing more eligible children services.

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The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) promotes the health of babies, children, and adults, and enhances the potential for full, productive living.  Our work includes identifying the causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities, helping children to develop and reach their full potential, and promoting health and well-being among people of all ages with disabilities.