Monitoring Developmental Milestones Helps Parents Act Early and Find Supportive Child Care
How Do You Know If Your Child Has Developmental Delays?
Unless your child received a disability diagnosis at birth, you may not know how to tell if your infant or very young child requires special needs or interventions to support their development. No two children are alike so it can be hard to identify if your child, especially in their very early years, may have delays or learning challenges. Even though many children reach their developmental milestones in a typical sequence, they are still developing at their own pace. For instance, some children may never crawl only to start walking before their first birthday while another child doesn’t take his first steps until months after turning one.
If you have concerns about your child’s health and progress, milestone development checklists, tracking apps and websites were created to help parents monitor their child’s growth and recognize delays. Your pediatrician will also screen your child for general development using standardized and validated tools during wellbeing checkups, which adds to the importance of ensuring your child attends these important health visits.
Another great source in spotting potential developmental concerns is your child’s caregiver. Child care providers in high-quality programs are typically more familiar with expected ranges of development and can call on their years of experience to identify when a child may be exhibiting a delay or disability. If your child care provider has not brought a concern to you, schedule time with them to talk about your worries and ask for them to pay close attention and document what they see.
By tracking your child’s milestone developments, you can recognize specific delays so that you can act early in finding interventions programs to support your child’s learning and growth. Research suggests that early initiation of services is associated with improved outcomes.
How Do You Find Child Care That Will Support Your Child’s Needs and Help Them Thrive?
First of all, you should learn more about what kind of program will fit your family’s needs best. Many traditional child care providers, both Family Home Child Care programs and Center-based programs, often work or have worked with children who have identified special needs and have an inclusive learning environment. Alternately, parents may choose to send their child to a program that specializes in working with children with special needs and disabilities.
Regardless of where you ultimately choose to go, it's important to know that child care programs cannot refuse admission of a child to its program because of a disability. The program is required to evaluate the child’s needs and determine if and what accommodations can be made for that specific child. Then parents can determine if that program will benefit their child.
Resources to Help You Find High-Quality Child Care Programs for a Child with Special Needs
Quality Rated Children with Disabilities information
Babies Can’t Wait, Georgia’s early intervention program
Call 1-877-ALL-GA-KIDS (877-255-4254) to speak with one of Quality Care for Children’s referral specialists.
Contact your local school district and local early intervention program for resources and help.
Ask other families.
Contact other national/state/local organizations such as Easter Seals (www.easterseals.com), whose members provide services to children with special needs.
Emory University’s Georgia Resources for Children with Special Needs
Georgia.gov’s Enroll a Child in a Special Needs Program
10 Questions to Ask:
Is the physical space (inside and outside), materials and equipment set-up where it is accessible for my child? How can it be adapted to fit my child’s needs?
What services does the school offer? What specifically does the school do well/offer for children with special needs?
What is the size of the service staff? What is the class size? What are the student-teacher and student-aide ratios?
Are classrooms inclusive or separated?
What is the adult involvement in peer interactions?
How will the program support my child’s interests and actively engage them in individual and social play activities?
What can we expect from the teacher when it comes to conflict resolution?
How will the teacher include my child and make them feel a part of the community? Will group activities be adapted so my child can participate? What motivation strategies do the teachers use?
Are the teachers qualified for special-needs education?
Do other children have therapy work done at the program? Is there a space for my child to have therapy work if needed?
