Continuing Nursing Education
Screening for Communication and Cognitive Disorders in Infants and Toddlers
Frances Scheffler, Donald Vogel, Rachel Astern, Jeanel Burgess, Tara Conneally, Kathy Salerno
Pediatric
nurse practitioners (PNPs) have a primary role in providing
parent-inclusive well-child physical and developmental examinations.
Although routine physical examinations are well defined, developmental
assessments, including communication and cognition, are not. Currently
a number of developmental screening tests exist; however, none have
become established as the “gold standard” for the primary health care
professional as none are convenient or time-efficient to employ. In
particular, there is a need for a screening tool that PNPs can use to
evaluate early development in their youngest patients. This article
offers a screening instrument capable of being easily completed through
parent interview in a routine integrated well-child exam. The screening
includes questions that probe communication and cognition in infants
and toddlers, and identifies atypical behaviors that are considered by
developmental specialists to be “red flags” and precursors to later
communication and cognitive disorders. A brief description of the
nature of communication and cognitive disorders in young children is
included.
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