International guidelines on screening for developmental delay
| Organization and year | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care | |
| 2016 (current guideline) | The task force recommends against screening for developmental delay using standardized tools in children aged 1 to 4 years with no apparent signs of developmental delay and whose parents and clinicians have no concerns about development. Thus, this recommendation applies to children for whom there is no concern about failure to sequentially acquire age-appropriate developmental milestones for gross and fine motor, social, emotional, language and cognitive domains. Milestone ages should be based on the oldest age by which the skill should have been achieved. The recommendation does not apply to children who present with signs suggestive of possible developmental delay, those whose parents express concern that could indicate developmental delay or those whose development is being closely monitored because of identified risk factors, such as premature birth or low birth weight. |
| 1994 (15), (16) | The previous guideline recommended assessing developmental milestones at each visit and recommended against use of the Denver Developmental Screening Test; there was insufficient evidence to support the inclusion or exclusion of other screening instruments. |
| Canadian Paediatric Society (2011) (41) | The Canadian Paediatric Society released a position paper supporting an enhanced 18-month well-baby visit. As part of the enhanced 18-month visit, the society recommends that primary care providers in clinical settings incorporate use of an evidence-based health supervision guide, such as the Rourke Baby Record (which includes a developmental surveillance tool), into the visit, and recommends use of a developmental screening tool, such as the NDDS, ASQ or PEDS/PEDS:DM, to stimulate discussion with parents about their child’s development, ways to support development and any concerns. |
| United States Preventive Services Task Force | |
| 2015 (47) | The task force concluded that evidence was insufficient to make a recommendation for or against population-based screening for speech and language delay in children aged 5 years or younger. It recommends not screening for developmental delay in children aged 1 to 4 years if there is no suspicion of developmental delay. |
| 2016 (48) | The autism recommendation statement concluded that evidence is insufficient to assess benefits and harms of screening for autism spectrum disorder in children for whom no concerns about this disorder have been raised. |
| American Academy of Pediatrics (2006 (11) and 2016 (12)) | The academy recommends that primary care providers screen all children for developmental delay using a standardized screening tool at the 9-, 18- and 30-month pediatric visits. A list of screening tools with descriptive properties is provided with the recommendation. |
| Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (2007) (49) | No guidance is provided on developmental delay, and population-based screening for autism spectrum disorder is not recommended. |
| National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (UK) (2011) (50) | No guidance is provided on developmental delay, and population-based screening for autism spectrum disorder is not recommended. Children in whom there are concerns about development or behaviour should be tested for autism spectrum disorder. |
Note: ASQ = Ages and Stages Questionnaire, NDDS = Nipissing District Developmental Screen, PEDS = Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status, PEDS:DM = Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones.