Developmental screening is a great way to track children’s development according to their age. Developmental screening is conducted using a brief, accurate, and valid tool, in partnership with families. A developmental screening can help identify children who are developing on-schedule, and can also identify children who would benefit from practice and support in specific areas. A developmental screener can help identify children who are at risk for developmental delays who should be referred for further evaluation.

The ideal ages for developmental screening for general development is:

• 9 months
• 18 months

The ideal age for developmental screening for social-emotional development is:

• 18 months

Developmental screening is more formal than developmental monitoring and done less often than developmental monitoring. Developmental screening is also a regular part of some of the well-child visits for all children even if there is not a known concern. While a screening tool does not provide a developmental delay diagnosis, the screening tool can indicate if there is a need to take a closer look at a specific developmental domain through an evaluation. A formal evaluation is typically completed by a trained specialist such as a child psychologist, speech-language pathologist, physical or occupational therapist, or other specialist. The results of a formal evaluation determine whether a child needs early intervention services.