Celebrate ‘Back-to-School’ Season with Online Challenge

Integrated Community Planning of Oswego County’s (ICPOC) Early Childhood Alliance and Help Me Grow encourage parents to go online now and complete the Developmental Screening Challenge to track and celebrate their child’s growth.

“We encourage parents, extended family, child care and health care providers to work together to monitor a child’s development to help them grow and thrive,” said Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup, District 9. “Developmental screenings are a simple way to learn about a child’s strengths and identify any areas where additional support may be helpful.” 

Various milestones can show how children learn to navigate their world, especially in speech, movement and play. These can include smiling or laughing, sitting up or rolling over and recognizing colors or objects, among many others.

“A missed milestone could be a sign of developmental delay, so we encourage parents to talk to their child’s doctor,” said Sidney Carter, coordinator for the Oswego County Early Childhood Alliance. “Ask questions; share concerns and learn ways to support their child’s development.”

The online Developmental Screening Challenge is an important new tool designed to help parents, caregivers and health care providers track a child’s progress. It is open to all Oswego County children from birth to age 5.

Click on Developmental Screening Challenge to get started, then:

• Click “I am completing both the ASQ-3™ and ASQ:SE-2™ questionnaires.”
• Fill in your child’s date of birth, if they were a premature birth, screening date and those assisting with the questionnaire. Then click “submit” at the bottom of the page.
• Click on the link to “print out the recommended questionnaire and return to this site to enter your responses at anytime.” It is recommended to do so within one week.
• Complete both questionnaires! Both ask for the child’s information along with the person completing the form. They each contain challenges to test the child’s gross and fine motor skills, communication and problem-solving abilities, and personal or social cues. Final questions allow for more detailed responses.
• Once the questionnaires are completed, return to the Challenge, repeat the first two steps, then click on “enter your results” at the bottom of the page.

Parents are reminded to complete both the ASQ:SE-2 and the ASQ-3 questionnaires. Once they are entered online, the Oswego County Help Me Grow Program will receive the results within 24 hours and follow up with the person who submitted the questionnaire. They will go over the results, answer questions and discuss any potential next steps.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), milestones are grouped into categories such as cognitive ability; language and communication; movement or physical development; and social or emotional cues. Each category contains different markers for children depending on their age.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends developmental surveillance at every health visit, especially at ages 4 and 5 as the child prepares to start elementary school.

“Although early intervention is important, intervention at any age can be helpful,” said Carter. “Developmental screening is one of the best things a parent can do to ensure their child’s success in school and in life.”

Screening tools include questionnaires like those used in the online Developmental Screening Challenge. The questions are based on research about childhood development and cover language (talking and listening skills), movement (gross and fine motor skills), cognition (thinking and problem-solving skills), behavior and emotions (how they relate to others).

Every child who has a screening completed on their behalf will be entered to win a basket full of fun and educational items, such as a bug catcher kit, water drawing mat, bee hive toy and interactive flash cards. One basket will be awarded in each school district.

ICPOC’s Child Care and Development Council of Oswego County, the Oswego County Early Childhood Alliance, Oswego County Help Me Grow and Oswego County Traffic Safety Board continue to partner with schools, early learning centers and community organizations across the county to promote child development, resilience and family engagement.

To learn more about the online Developmental Screening Challenge, email Sidney Carter at oswegocountyeca@icpoc.org or call 315-343-2344, ext. 113.

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