Autism Resources
"I can’t stress strongly enough the importance of diving into action immediately. Every expert in the field agrees that early intervention is essential and critical. The “wait and see” approach is detrimental to your child." - Lynn Koegel
Research shows that children who receive intensive early intervention are more likely to have improved longterm outcomes. These include increased language, social skills, daily living skills and cognition. As parents, we want to ensure that our children are well prepared for all that lies ahead for them such as school, social relationships with peers, employment, daily skills and effective communication.
Here are some really great resources to help parents know what to look for in their child as they grow and develop.
A child's early years include many developmental milestones. This website, firstwordsproject.com, has comprehensive milestone charts for children ranging 7-24 months. Milestone categories include language, play, social interaction, emotional regulation and self-directed learning. Parents can easily print out the milestones list and check off items that they observe.
https://scgc.firstwordsproject.com/ : Comprehensive Milestone Example 11-12 months
However the day of fast moving technology and even faster moving parents, it may be easier for some parents to quickly keep track of their child's milestones on their mobil device. The CDC (center for disease control and prevention) has an app for that! It's called the "Milestone Tracker App," and it allows parents to track milestones from 2 moths of age to 5 years of age. The app has many great features including: adding multiple children with names and ages, milestone pictures and videos to help parents have a better idea of what each milestone looks like, tips and activities to support your child's development and many more.
As a parent, you know your child best. If your child is not meeting the milestones, or if you think there could be a problem with the way they play, speaks, acts with friends and family and moves talk to your doctor and share your concerns. Don’t wait act early!
