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SALT LAKE CITY — Parents typically take notice of when their child begins to walk or talk, but state and local health officials are concerned that other developmental milestones are often overlooked when they could be used to diagnose autism in children.
And it isn't just autism, but other developmental disorders that could benefit with early intervention and treatment.
"We want parents to realize that although every child is different and develops at his or her own pace, there are still milestones each child should reach within a certain time frame," said Al Romeo, a nurse and program coordinator for the state's new outreach campaign, Learn the Signs, Act Early.
"We hope that this program will help parents identify delays and also encourage them to talk with their providers about their concerns," he said.
Emily Smith had noticed her infant son was having trouble communicating, but her doctor had a wait-and-see approach that wasn't good enough for her. It was then that she realized that she had to work to get the answers she needed to help her son succeed.
We hope that this program will help parents identify delays and also encourage them to talk with their providers about their concerns.
–- Al Romeo, nurse and program coordinator
"We had this child who was sort of living behind a curtain and he'd peek out every now and then to give us a little glimpse of his personality," she said. "Early intervention gave us the tools we needed to take his hand and lead him out from behind the curtain so he could be a part of our family, so he could interact with us appropriately."
According to the Utah Department of Health, one in every nine children in Utah has a special health care need, chronic health condition or disability.
Learn the Signs, Act Early will incorporate the southwest corner of Salt Lake County, where communities reportedly have the highest numbers of young children. A telephone survey has already been conducted and follow-up data will be collected a year from now and referred to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, which is funding the campaign.
Acting early to screen for developmental disabilities can lead to interventions that may help with or reverse those delays.
–- Dr. Paul Carbone
In addition to a new website that contains educational tools for parents, the state's campaign aims to provide developmental screening for every child at 18 and 24 months of age.
"We currently diagnose autism spectrum disorders at about the age of 4 in the U.S., but the early signs of autism are typically noticeable by around 12 to 24 months of age," said pediatrician Dr. Paul Carbone. He said the idea is to empower parents to talk more openly with doctors about their child's development, "about how they play, how they learn, speak and act."
If questions result from routine screenings, Carbone said the program encourages various referrals to doctors and clinicians, including audiologists, to rule out hearing problems, and to early intervention specialists who can do more to help the child.
"Acting early to screen for developmental disabilities can lead to interventions that may help with or reverse those delays," he said. "Enrolling children in early intervention programs and taking advantage of proven therapies can help keep them from falling further behind as they start and progress through the school years."
He said the campaign is key, "because parents require knowledge about developmental milestones and early signs of autism for them to be good advocates for their children."
Email:wleonard@ksl.com
