Posted March 18th, 2014
By Guest Blogger
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is an opportunity to learn more about developmental disabilities and how to support those who have them.
Developmental disabilities are a group of impairments in physical, learning, language and/or behavior areas; these are defined as chronic disabilities that originated at birth or during childhood, can last throughout a person’s lifetime and can substantially restrict an individual’s functioning. Developmental disabilities occur among all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Over 6 million individuals in the United States have developmental disabilities; and about one in six children in the United States are diagnosed with one or more developmental disabilities or delays. These can include ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, hearing loss, intellectual disability, learning disability and vision impairment.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers a program to increase awareness of developmental disabilities called “Learn the Signs. Act Early”. This campaign highlights the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to improve outcomes. Unfortunately, many children with a developmental disability are not identified or diagnosed until well after entering school. A critical window of opportunity within the first three years of life is often missed as a result. The research shows that early intervention can have a substantial impact on a child’s ability to learn new skills and to improve outcomes across the board.
The CDC has several initiatives that work to help increase early diagnosis and treatment.
· Their Health Education Campaign targets families and caregivers. It promotes awareness of healthy developmental milestones in early childhood. It touts the importance of tracking each child’s development and of acting early if there are concerns.
· The Act Early Initiative works with state, territorial, and national partners to improve early childhood systems. They do this by enhancing collaborative efforts to improve the screening of developmental delays and facilitating the referral to early intervention services through their “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign.
· Finally, their Research and Evaluation Initiative works to improve the materials and the implementation of activities to increase understanding of the factors that influence early identification and referral for developmental disabilities. Their aim is to change perceptions about the importance of identifying developmental concerns early and giving parents and professionals the tools to help.
The CDC offers parent-friendly materials that are research-based, free, easily accessible and customizable. There are materials available for parents, early educators and health care providers. They include milestone checklists, tips for parents, early warning signs and fact sheets. Developmental disabilities can have a significant impact on individuals and families, making early intervention and educational campaigns an important tool for those affected and for those who work with them. Learn the Signs and Act Early are definitely words to live by when dealing with developmental disabilities. For more on the CDC’s developmental disability initiatives, be sure to visit them here: http://www.cdc.gov/actearly.
Ed4Career is proud to offer an extensive catalog of courses for individuals interested in learning more about developmental disabilities and the field of the direct support professional. Please visit our website here to learn more: https://Ed4Career.com/.
