Advice for parents seem to change quite often.
But developmental milestones have been the same for about two decades; until now.
"The earlier kids began developmental services, the better their developmental trajectory is," said Dr. Michael Murray of the Penn State Health Autism and Developmental Disorders Clinic. "So we really want to get kids into services that are going to be impactful for the rest of their lives."
For the past two decades, the guidelines relied on a median of 50 percent, meaning 50 percent of kids can do "this or that" by a certain age. That was a problem, according to Murray.
"What that led to is a lot of wait and see kind of activity," he said "Let's just watch. Let's just wait and see."
Now, the guidance is more specific, which Murray believes will help kids get into services sooner.
"They set the development at the 75th percentile, meaning the great majority of kids have achieved this skill or this ability at this age and the 25 percent that have not, we should be watching those kids really, really closely," Murray said.
The new guidance also adds developmental checklists at 15 and 30 month check-ups. Before, there were none at those ages. Murray says this is especially important because kids with autism will often begin to show signs between 12 and 15 months.
"So now there is a specific developmental checklist to go over at every well-child check, so it intesifies the surveillance and allows us to make sure that we're catching things early," Murray said. "So I think the number one is have a conversation with your pedatrician at every visit about things that your son or daughter is doing that you feel really great about, and things that maybe are concerning to you."
For more information about the new guidelines and resources, click here.
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