The child development review: Monitoring children's development using parents' and pediatricians' observations

The Child Development Review (CDR) combines parents' and pediatricians' observations to monitor the development and adjustment of Infants and young children. The CDR is designed to help answer the parent's question, ''How well is my child doing?'' and the pediatrician's question, ''Is this child developing normally!'' The method includes: involving parents systematically in the developmental review process, including the use of a parent questionnaire; systematic professional observation at well-child visits, including the use of a child development chart; and pediatrician-parent discussion of the child's development and community resources for parents and children. The CDR Parent Questionnaire includes six questions and a 26-item symptoms and problems checklist. Various studies have documented the frequencies of various parental concerns and reported symptoms and behavior problems. Some parent-reported problems are associated with placement in early childhood/special education; some of these problems are also predictors of subsequent poor kindergarten performance. Use of the CDR system enhances anticipatory guidance, discussion of parent concerns, and early intervention, while reducing reliance on developmental screening tests.