Infants and toddlers grow and change rapidly during the first three years. There are many tools available to help parents learn about their child’s growth and development, as well as resources for parents who have developmental concerns about their child. Check out the resources on this page to learn about developmental milestones, developmental screening tools, and Early Childhood Intervention services for families and their children with developmental delays or disabilities.
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Learn about Developmental Milestones and Screening
Learning about developmental milestones helps parents understand what young children typically know and are able to do at different ages. While every child is an individual, milestones checklists allow parents to see how their child’s skills compare to typical growth and development, and become aware of possible delays. A more formal way to track your child’s development is through developmental screeners. Watch the following brief videos for more information about these topics.
What are developmental milestones?How early can you tell if a child is developing typically or is delayed?What is a 'screening assessment' or 'developmental screener?'Who does developmental screenings and assessments?Why do some children develop skills more slowly than others?What should I do if I'm concerned about my child's development?
Learn about Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)
In Texas, children between the ages of birth and 36 months can receive services from Early Childhood Intervention (“ECI”) if they need additional support to meet developmental milestones in areas such as language, motor development, adaptive behaviors such as feeding, or learning and play skills. ECI services are provided by local agencies and organizations across the state, with family cost sharing based on income. ECI services focus on teaching parents and other caregivers the skills to best support their children’s development, and are provided within their natural environments, such as the child’s home, grandparents’ home, or child care center. Anyone can make a referral to ECI, including parents, early childhood professionals, and healthcare providers. To make a referral or learn more about ECI, go to: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/disability/early-childhood-intervention-services and use the links on the left side of the web page. You can also watch the following brief videos to hear more about the Early Childhood Intervention process and services from an ECI evaluation specialist.
What is Early Childhood Intervention?Why is early intervention important?How does ECI decide whether a child needs intervention services?What does an ECI assessment look like?Where do intervention services take place?How are parents involved in the ECI process?How are bilingual families served by ECI?Who pays for ECI services?What information will parents be asked to provide when requesting an evaluation?How do you decide when a child is ready to “graduate” from ECI services?What happens when a child receiving ECI services turns 3 years old?
Resources for Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Child Progress Monitoring
Developmental Milestones Checklists:
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- Centers for Disease Control (CDC): developmental milestones for children from two months to five years
- Child Mind Institute: a parent’s guide to developmental milestones
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): speech, hearing, and language milestones from birth to five years
Additional Resources:
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- Reach Out and Read Milestones of Early Literacy Development: for children from six months to five years
- Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines: available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese
- M-CHAT-R, available on Act Early Texas: access this well-known autism developmental screening tool for toddlers on the Act Early Texas website, available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese
- Early Childhood Intervention (ECI): learn more about ECI on their website