Developmental Screening & Assessment

Developmental screening is part of every well-child visit at Ovspring. Screenings provide a quick and simple way to monitor a child's healthy development. The earlier a developmental delay or disorder is detected, the better the prognosis for the child. Identification is essential for intervention.

 

At Ovspring, developmental screening is weaved into well child visits. In addition to monitoring physical development, well-child visits provide crucial opportunities to screen for developmental disorders and to monitor and chart a child's social, emotional, and cognitive development.

 

Developmental screening for children at-risk, including premature babies or those placed at genetic risk, are carried out routinely during well-baby checks by our paediatrician.

 

Screening tools are brief measures that differentiate children who are at risk for atypical development from those who are not. They range from questionnaires given to parents in waiting rooms to brief, but meaningful exchanges and observations during paediatric exams. Often, screening tools can help eliminate worries of developmental delays, by screening children “out,” rather than “in.”

 

Screening by itself does not provide a diagnosis, but is the first key step in the diagnostic process. If developmental screening indicates a concern or atypical development, additional tests such as an audiological evaluation may be recommended or referrals may be made to relevant professionals to review areas of concern such as speech and language, behaviour or motor coordination.  Depending on the concerns presented, a Developmental Review & Screening by multi-disciplinary team or an in-depth Developmental Assessment by our paediatrician, may be recommended.

 

At Ovspring, our paediatrician, together with our child development specialists are trained to assess children through clinical observations and standardised tests. We encourage parents to work in partnership with paediatricians to ensure that a child grows and develops to his or her full potential.