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(Unit 7) Topic 7: Observing, Recording and Looking Ahead

3 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Developmental Assessments

​Topic 7 Page 19

Levi isn’t walking at 18 months.

Rajesh is 2 and has begun walking only on his toes. 

Mora is 4 and squints her eyes when reading. 

Nikolai is 5 months and doesn’t turn his head to the left. 

​These examples show potential red flags or atypical development in young children. 

Often after completing assessments, you may find concerns such as these in a child’s development. In this case you may need to talk with a child’s family about the need for gathering more information.  Developmental screening tools will provide more clues on how a child is progressing and where the challenges are.  Sometimes developmental screenings provide the information required to request early intervention, such as specific supports for targeted delays, if needed.  By catching challenges early, you can be instrumental in getting the help a child needs for optimum growth.  

Speaking with a child’s family about these red flags can often be stressful, causing many educators a great deal of stress and worry. Here are some strategies for speaking with families about their child’s atypical development:

Remain professional
You are a professional educator and your expertise and knowledge about the child is important so it is important to carry yourself in a professional manner. Parents may become emotional or upset about the information you share so remaining professional and focused is very important.

Show documentation and guidelines
Use the information and data that you have gathered about the child’s development. This gives real evidence to families and is more powerful when used in conjunction with developmental guidelines and standards.

Have resources available
If a child is showing red flags for a speech or language delay provide some speech therapy and early screening resources to the family. Of course, their pediatrician may be the obvious choice to consult first, but they may need further resources.

Maintain confidentiality
Follow your state and licensing guidelines about what records to keep, how to keep them, and who you may share the information with. Typically, confidentiality is kept between the program and the parents or guardians. If you are unsure, do not disclose information.

Get help
If you are concerned about sharing the information about a child’s development with family members for any number of reasons ask your director or a co-teacher for help. They may have great suggestions or will be willing to attend the meeting with you.

(Unit 7) Topic 7: Observing, Recording and Looking Ahead * Navigation Menu