Can You Take Any More Info on the CDC Guidelines?

As information and more talk continues to evolve about the new CDC guidelines I want to post follow ups for parents and try to help them understand what has happened. There will be a virtual discussion later this week through the APTA Pediatric section which I will be watching. I hope to give you all a breakdown from this event that will help even further.

After signing up for this virtual event I was able to download the entire research paper done by "the experts" and the actual checklists for each age group. I may not have been clear that these checklists include the following areas:

• Social/Emotional

• Language/Communication

• Cognitive

• Movement/Physical Development

That's a lot to look at but keep in mind that I am a Physical therapist so my focus is the movement/physical development areas. (Please consult an SLP, OTR, child psychologist, learning specialist for the other areas.) The first thing I am noticing is that fine motor (OT) and gross motor (PT) are combined into the movement section. Each section gives 2-4 milestones to be looked at and these milestones are very general. That means that for each age group there may be 1-2 very basic milestone looked at for PT and OT. For EX: on the 18 month checklist the only PT milestone mentioned is "walks without holding on to anyone or anything".

Each checklist is 2 pages and includes some cues on what to discuss with your pediatrician and ways to "help your child learn and grow". I appreciate that each page includes the statement "Don't Wait, Acting Early Can Make a Real Difference." They have also offered a free app that allows parents to input each child and their milestones with notes and cues similar to the checklists. I wish I had had an app 25 years ago so I could record when my kids met milestones. This will be helpful when consulting specialists who will ask for that information.

Here's the thing, which goes back to my second blog on this subject stating that I am not going to be changing my process for evaluating and treating children. That process is individualized by child and based on experience and feel for how things look as well as information from YOU, the parent. Therapists use standardized tools, of which there are many, to help evaluate your child. These tools look at each age group with a much finer microscope. They include many more milestones per age, many of which are broken down into much smaller increments and are more detailed. That's what professionals go to school to learn and that's what we will continue to use when you consult with us. The CDC checklists are just a start, the tip of the iceberg, a conversation starter between you and your pediatrician. Just because I can follow Turbo tax and do my 25 year old's simple tax return does not make me a CPA who can do my more complicated business return with investments, a house, a side hustle, and charitable contributions. IF you suspect your child is not progressing typically do what the CDC says, "Don't Wait" - get intervention.