PHOENIX — For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have loosened guidelines for speech milestones expected in young children.
Critics worry the new guidelines will cause more delays for children to get early interventions when they need them most. The CDC said the new developmental surveillance checklists are intended to clarify when most children can be expected to reach milestones and support clinical judgment regarding screening between recommended ages.
Updated Guidelines and New Checklists
Developmental milestones are clues for parents to know whether their child is progressing in key mental, social and physical areas as identified by health professionals.
Last month the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics announced updated guidelines for pediatricians regarding childhood milestones. Some changes include:
- Identifying social milestones, such as when an infant should start smiling on their own
-Revising and expanding tips for parents
-Adding two more checklists for pediatricians at 15 months and 30 months
-Checking whether a child’s ability to say at least 50 words was changed from 2 years old to 2 and-a-half years old
Change in Speech Guidelines
The change in speech milestones has some experts concerned.
“The concern I think is that by changing these milestones parents are not going to be as aggressive about following up on concerns that they might have,” said Nancy Scherer, a professor in speech and hearing science at Arizona State University's College of Health Solutions.
The new guidance directly conflicts with standards set by The American Speech Language and Hearing Association. It states a child saying fewer than 50 words at 2 years old is a sign of a language problem.
"ASHA has reached out to CDC, expressing its concern about inconsistencies and urging the agency to utilize the expertise of SLPs when making changes to developmental milestones…" said a representative of ASHA last month after the new guidelines were released.
Scherer’s advice to parents is to be proactive with their pediatrician, ask questions, and do research on available interventions if they have concerns.
Resources and Advice for Parents
Some speech and language pathologists are worried the change in guidelines will amount to a greater influx of students entering preschool and kindergarten behind in speech skills.
“Certainly if kids don’t get early intervention they’re more likely to have academic issues that are going to arise later on,” Scherer said.
The CDC however said the changes combined are the result of several years of study and are meant to provide more specific guidance for doctors and parents at even earlier ages than prior guidance.
Scherer adds there is a wide range in childhood development occurring for kids under 3 years old.
Adding to the concerns of school employees is research showing children born during the pandemic may have delayed social skills.
“Whether that’s longstanding or whether that’s just short-term, we just don’t know,” Scherer added.
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