Editorial: Early Identification of Developmental Delays: Are Two-Stage Screeners the Next Logical Step?
1University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; South Western Sydney Local Health District & Ingham Institute, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|November 30, 2025
Summary
Early detection of developmental delays in children, coupled with timely intervention, significantly enhances motor, cognitive, and socioemotional development. These supports improve outcomes and are cost-effective, especially for disadvantaged populations.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Early detection and intervention are crucial for improving child development outcomes.
- Developmental delays affect children disproportionately, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Established guidelines recommend routine developmental surveillance and screening.
Related Concept Videos
Morphogenesis
20.0K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
20.0K
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
2.3K
Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.Developmental MilestonesA key concept in developmental psychology is...
2.3K
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood
3.8K
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
3.8K
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
2.7K
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Exploration...
2.7K
Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development
1.5K
During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the...
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the...
1.5K
Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development
1.2K
The formal operational stage, as described in Piaget's cognitive development theory, begins around age 11 and extends into adulthood. It marks the emergence of advanced cognitive abilities that differentiate adolescent and adult thinking from those of younger children. This stage is characterized by abstract reasoning, hypothetical-deductive reasoning, and a more complex understanding of self and others.
Abstract Reasoning and Hypothetical-Deductive Thinking
Unlike the concrete operational...
Abstract Reasoning and Hypothetical-Deductive Thinking
Unlike the concrete operational...
1.2K


