Developmental surveillance is recommended for all well-child visits, and standardized developmental screening is recommended at 9-, 18-, and 30-month visits.
The AAP recently published a new policy statement on the early identification of infants and young children with developmental disorders in primary care practice. The 2001 recommendations were updated because an AAP survey revealed that only 23% of pediatricians routinely use standardized, developmental screening tests during well-child visits. The new policy statement provides a practice algorithm for developmental surveillance and screening.
Developmental surveillance is recommended for all well-child visits. Surveillance is defined as a flexible, longitudinal, and continuous process that includes eliciting and attending to parents’ concerns, maintaining a developmental history, making accurate and informed observations, identifying the pr…