Interactive Tools to Track Your Child's Development

When asked to measure a child's growth, weight and height instantly come to mind. But there are other areas where your child's growth should be monitored-how they play, learn, speak, and interact. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem, even autism. The earlier the delay is recognized, the more you can do to help your child reach his or her full potential.

The CDC has two free interactive tools to help you watch for and record your child's developmental milestones.

The first is a Interactive Milestones Chart. It shows developmental milestones for ages 3 months to 5 years in these 7 categories:

• Social and emotional
• Movement
• Hand and finger skills
• Cognitive
• Hearing and speech
• Vision
• Language

The second tool is an Interactive Milestones Checklist. It is a checklist you can print off and record your child's development. You can easily share this checklist with your child's physician, daycare worker, or relatives who care for the child.

If you suspect your child may have a developmental problem, speak with your child's physician.

Source: CDC