Developmental monitoring observes how your child grows and changes over time and whether your child meets the typical developmental milestones in playing, learning, speaking, behaving, and moving. Your child’s doctor or a trained specialist will ask you questions about your child’s development or will talk and play with your child to see if he or she is developing and meeting milestones.

While it is good idea for a trained specialist to monitor your child’s development, even you can do it. We could provide you with a brief checklist of milestones and you could use it to monitor your child’s development at home. If you notice that your child is not meeting milestones, talk with your doctor who will then take a closer look by using a more thorough test or exam.

Developmental screening should be done by a trained specialist. It takes a closer look at how your child is developing. Your child will get a brief test, or you will complete a questionnaire about your child. The tools used for developmental screening are formal questionnaires or checklists based on research that ask questions about a child’s development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions.

Developmental screening is more formal than developmental monitoring and normally done less often than developmental monitoring. Your child should be screened at 9 months, 18 months, and 24 or 30 months.  Your child should also be screened if you or your doctor has a concern.

Some children are at higher risk for developmental delays due to conditions present at or around birth such as prematurity, low birth weight, or certain medical conditions. While a large percentage of such children will have normal development, parents should be more cautious and vigilant. Additional developmental surveillance, guidance on what milestones to expect next, and stimulating your child through play activities to achieve the next set of milestones, will help limit potential complications.