"My greatest frustration is why wait all these years to test my child when I've been saying the whole time there is something wrong." Lina Salazar, Parent

Parents play an important role in the detection of their children's developmental and behavioral disabilities.¹ Therefore as a parent, it is important to convey concerns about your child's development to the pediatric health care clinician during well-child visits to help foster the early detection of such disabilities through the family-professional partnership. Information contained on this page aims to provide families with access to general developmental information, strategies to best communicate with clinicians, and encouragement to advocate on the part of your child.

Resources:

Learn the Signs; Act Early
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the many organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, has launched an awareness campaign to educate parents about childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders. The earlier a child with a developmental delay receives appropriate assessment and intervention, the better the developmental outcome can be.

Could It Be Autism? A Parent’s Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps
(Broadway Books), by First Signs founder and president, Nancy D. Wiseman.

The book explains the steps parents can take to confirm or rule out a developmental delay or disorder. It details various diagnoses and shows how sometimes multiple diagnoses may apply. But even more valuable is the information on how to design and implement the best intervention plan based on a child’s unique developmental profile. Different treatments and therapies are outlined so parents can explore and understand what may work best for their child, based on his or her particular strengths and weaknesses.  

To read reviews, click here. "Informative, empowering and inspirational, a critical guide for any parent with concerns about their child’s developmental path." --Kirkus Reviews

You Know Your Child. By Margaret Dunkle.
The first of a five part series to run on the Los Angeles Department of Health - Public Health Web site encourages parents to advocate for pediatricians to use developmental screening tools during well child visits.

Bright Futures
Bright Futures for Families is a national initiative for families and communities to promote and improve the health and well-being of children of all ages. Bright Futures for Families offer resources for families based on the award winning, federally supported Bright Futures initiative, developed through the support of public health, non-profit, and corporate organizations.

Forepath
Parents can take one or more screens (the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and/or Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status) on their own.

First Signs
The mission of First Signs is to promote the early identification of, and intervention for, autism and other developmental disorders.

Educational Initiatives: