The first five years of every child’s life are an intensive developmental period. By age five, a child has begun to walk and talk– but are you aware of more subtle cognitive, social or language milestones that should also be reached by this age? While every child develops at his or her own pace, caregivers should be regularly monitoring their child’s progress to rule out anything that might set them back when they’re ready to start school. That’s why Easter Seals, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of early intervention services, is now offering access to a free online screening tool that can help parents track their child’s development.
Thanks to support from CVS Caremark’s foundation, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Easter Seals
is providing free access to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ) to parents. The easy to use online tool can be accessed by visiting www.MaketheFirstFiveCount.org. The tool was designed to help parents monitor their child’s developmental milestones from birth to age 5 and includes questions about a child’s communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal social skills. All parents are urged to take the free 15 minute screening– whether they expect their child has a developmental delay or not. Below are just some of the helpful questions included in the screening tool:
- At two months, does yourbaby smile when you talk toher? Does your baby roll fromhis back to his tummy at eight months?
- At 4-5 years, does your child use four- and five-word sentences? Does your child usually take turns and share with other children?
To complete the full online screening parents can visit www.MaketheFirstFiveCount.org and look for a link to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ.) Results from the screening will help you see if your child’s developmental progress is on time and alert you to concerns that you can discuss with your health care provider.
Check out this special video below that features the personal stories of two families whose children have benefited from early intervention services. Early identification and treatment are keys to a bright future for every child.
Help us make the first five count for children everywhere! Learn more about the tool by visiting www.makethefirstfivecount.org.
