Research:

• According to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau report, the following gaps were identified:

• There is concern over whether pediatrics, as practiced today by most pediatricians, is adequately addressing the needs of infants and young children in early childhood and their families. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision(13) and other pediatric guidelines acknowledge the need for enhanced health professionals knowledge and skills in addressing developmental, behavioral and psycho-social problems.
• In a recent national survey, only 55% of parents indicated that their young child ever received a developmental assessment from their pediatric health care provider.
• Many pediatric providers are not well-trained to assess, intervene and refer children with developmental, behavioral and psych-social problems, despite recognition of these issues as central to pediatric care.
• Pediatricians who do provide developmental and psycho- social assessments acknowledge the importance of these services and identify lack of appropriate reimbursements for developmental and psycho-social assessments as a barrier to care .

{Source:   http://www.amchp.org/members/center/mchb-earlychild.pdf}

Current Realities:

• Because of Medicaid requirements and an increased understanding of the importance of developmental screenings, more pediatricians in Cumberland County are incorporating developmental screenings into their well-check routines, regardless of a child’s Medicaid eligibility, and similarly to the developmental surveillance model.
• However even these pediatricians and their office staff would benefit from training and modeling regarding the use of standardized and validated developmental assessments, like the Ages and Stages Questionnaire.
• Many pediatrician offices lack the photoscreening and hearing screening equipment necessary to complete comprehensive screenings and, as trusted as these pediatricians are by families, doctors and their office staff would also benefit from training and modeling on talking to parents about potential delays or disabilities, referring children into early intervention services and encouraging families to utilize these available resources.
• The Comprehensive Pediatric Developmental Surveillance (CPDS) activity fills a gap in Cumberland County existing between pediatricians and organizations providing early intervention services to ensure children ages birth to five receive comprehensive developmental screenings and timely referrals to therapies and other appropriate resources.