Developmental screening is an efficient, cost-effective way to identify potential health or behavioral problems. In primary health care settings, the most effective screening tools rely on parent-reported information. Children who get screened are more likely to have delays identified, be referred for early intervention, and be determined eligible for early intervention services. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children receive developmental screening from their physicians at least three times before their third birthday.
The denominator is children ages 9 through 35 months. The numerator is children, ages 9 through 35 months, who received a developmental screening using a parent-completed screening tool in the past year, as reported by parents. State of Babies Yearbook: 2023 estimates are based on a five year (2016-2020) combined sample of the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). These results are more reliable than the results presented in SoBY 2022, which were based on four years of NSCH data (2016 – 2019), SoBY 2021, which were based on three years of NSCH data (2016-2019), SoBY 2020, which were based on two years of NSCH data (2016-2017), or SoBY 2019, which were based on 2016 NSCH data. They should be considered improved estimates, not new estimates that can be compared directly to the 2022, 2021, 2020 or 2019 yearbook estimates.
This indicator can be disaggregated by race/ethnicity and income. Race/ethnicity: The child’s race/ethnicity is reported by their caregiver, and the included subgroups are Hispanic of all races, Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, and Non-Hispanic Asian. The US Census Bureau recommends against using state or national population estimates for the following groups with the NSCH since these categories are not controlled independently: American Indian and Alaska Native, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and some “Other” and “Two or More Races” categories, so those estimates are not presented. In 2019, the “some other race” race category was removed from the questionnaire. Missing responses were imputed and categorized into existing race groups. Income: NSCH derives household income-to-poverty ratios based on family income and household size. Missing values were imputed by the Census Bureau, and the single imputation version provided in the 2016-2020 data files is used. Households with incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty line are classified as low-income. Households with incomes at or above 200 percent of the federal poverty line are considered not low-income.
Glascoe, F. P. (2000). Early detection of developmental and behavioral problems. Pediatrics in Review, 21(8), 272-280. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.21.8.272 Guevara, J. P., Gerdes, M., Localio, R., Huang, Y. V., Pinto-Martin, J., Minkovitz, C. S., Hsu, D., Kyriakou, L, Baglivo, S., Kavanagh, J., & Pati, S. (2012). Effectiveness of developmental screening in an urban setting. Pediatrics, 13(1), 30-37. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-0765
American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Children with Disabilities, Section on Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Bright Futures Steering Committee and Medical Home Initiatives for Children with Special Needs Project Advisory Committee. (2006). Identifying infants and young children with developmental disorders in the medical home: An algorithm for developmental surveillance and screening. Pediatrics, 118(1), 405-420. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-1231
Sources:
Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (2017). 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Stata Constructed Data Set. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by Cooperative Agreement U59MC27866 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). www.childhealthdata.org
Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (2018). 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Stata Constructed Data Set. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by Cooperative Agreement U59MC27866 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). www.childhealthdata.org
Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (2019). 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Stata Constructed Data Set. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by Cooperative Agreement U59MC27866 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). www.childhealthdata.org
Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (2020). 2019 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Stata Constructed Data Set. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by Cooperative Agreement U59MC27866 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). www.childhealthdata.org
Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (2021). 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Stata Constructed Data Set. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by Cooperative Agreement U59MC27866 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). www.childhealthdata.org