Only 21 percent of parents in 2007 said they were asked to fill out a questionnaire from their healthcare provider inquiring about their child’s developmental, communication, or social behaviors—an essential step in steering children to early-intervention services, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The CDC released the information this month as part of an analysis on the use of several preventive services for infants, children, and adolescents. The CDC recommends that young children be screened for developmental delays at 9, 18, and either 24 or 30 months, and for autism spectrum disorder at 18 months and at either 24 or 30 months.
The analysis drew on data from a national survey that focused on children between 10 and 47 months of age. It also found that parents were the least likely to report an official screening if the child had not had insurance in the past year.
