The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be screened for autism at 18 and 24 months. It is unknown whether a positive screen usually represents the first developmental concern or is typically preceded by other developmental and/or medical concerns. This study evaluated the proportions of toddlers (M = 18.69 months) who screened…

Estimates show that one in six children aged three through 17 in the United States have one or more developmental disabilities. Many early childhood education programs aim to improve early identification of children with developmental disabilities and increase family engagement, specifically Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The present…

Early identification of developmental delays in young children is a national priority. Yet, a significant number of children do not receive timely developmental monitoring and screening as part of current health and early identification systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) "Learn the Signs. Act Early."…

This paper examines age of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identification and related factors in a diverse urban sample, focusing on ASD identification in the East African Somali community. The overall average age of initial ASD identification was 4.8 years. Somali children received an initial clinical diagnosis of Autistic Disorder later than…

This study examined the effectiveness of the "Thrive by Three" intervention for 1- to 3-year-old's language development. Data from 78 childcare centres, 187 toddler classrooms, and 1561 children (91.4% native Norwegian) were included. Results revealed that children in the intervention group had slightly steeper language development than…

Montessori educators face increasing demands to support growing numbers of students who have developmental delays or disabilities, and early detection and support are essential. Yet, detecting developmental delays is a complex task, and early childhood educators do not typically receive specialized training. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires…

National Surveys of Children's Health (NSCH, 2016-2018) data were analyzed to determine if conjoint monitoring and screening showed stronger associations with children under 5 identified with ASD compared to monitoring alone, screening alone or no monitoring or screening; and investigate relationships between monitoring and screening across…

Early identification of young children at developmental risk is important for linkage to needed services. Yet, despite guidelines for developmental screening, many pediatricians do not systematically use screening tools. Because many young children spend time in childcare settings, conducting screening in these settings may improve rates of early…

Many children with developmental disabilities are not identified before age 3 years of age, preventing them from being able to fully benefit from early intervention services. Early childhood educators, particularly those in Early Head Start (EHS) programs, are important partners in the early identification of children with developmental delays.…

Background: South Africa has migrated the responsibility for early childhood development (ECD) centres from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Basic Education. This functional shift has ushered in consultations and discussions on how best to implement ECD, including opportunities the change may bring. Aim: By anchoring the…

Low birth weight (LBW) and prematurity have been identified as health risks associated with adverse developmental and educational outcomes. This study examined whether such risks affected children's receiving special education services. Using a nationally representative sample from the Pre-Elementary Educational Longitudinal Study, we investigated…

This study investigated the feasibility of recruiting and assessing infants with prodromal autism characteristics in the first year of life via telehealth. Participants included 41 infants (Mage = 10.51 months, 51.2% female, 80.5% White) whose parents had concerns about social communication delays or autism. All infants met concerns criteria on a…

We aimed to evaluate the validity of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires Edition 3 (ASQ-3) and the MacArthur communicative development inventory (CDI) as a screening measure for children at risk of language development delay in western rural China, by comparing them to the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III). We administered…

Identification of problems with socioemotional functioning is an important task in early childhood, particularly for children in early intervention (EI). However, socioemotional concerns raised by families may be under-identified in practice. In accordance with Division for Early Childhood (DEC) recommended practices, Part C providers could…

The average diagnosis of autism in the United States is after 4 years of age, even though a reliable diagnosis can be obtained as early as 2 years of age. Early identification of autism can help facilitate access to early intervention, yet many children experience significant delays in receiving a diagnosis and intervention. Various factors…