Earlier this month, ASHA announced new developmental milestones for children ages 0 to 5 years. These milestones can help parents identify signs of communication, feeding, and swallowing delays, allowing them to reach out to an ASHA professional for early intervention. The latest Special Collection from ASHA Journals features the research articles and references used to inform the evidence base in the revision of these milestones.
Decades of Research
This Special Collection showcases more than 30 years of research, including 18 articles from ASHA’s journals, covering a wide range of topics. Important perspectives are represented in the revised milestones, such as those of dual-language learners and children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
In addition to articles from ASHA’s journals, the Special Collection includes citations to more than 30 articles from other publications that informed the developmental milestones. These resources include information from not only communication sciences and disorders but also other areas of study such as childhood nutrition and child neurology.
More on Developmental Milestones
These new developmental milestones provide an evidence-based update to existing communication milestones and mark the first time ASHA has included feeding and swallowing milestones. ASHA will revisit these milestones every 5 years as the supporting research continues to evolve.
Experts emphasize that these milestones serve as guidance and are not intended to be used as a screening or diagnostic tool. Familiarize yourself with ASHA’s new developmental milestones, and share them with parents or caregivers so they can alert you when they suspect that additional screening or assessment might be needed!
About Special Collections
Once you’ve explored the references for ASHA’s Developmental Milestones, Birth to 5 Years, stay awhile and check out the full list of Special Collections online! These collections provide research and useful resources in one place on a wide range of timely topics—from disability advocacy to over-the-counter hearing devices. Check out coverage of our Special Collections from earlier this year for even more information.
Our Special Collection on ASHA’s Developmental Milestones gives professionals, researchers, parents, and caregivers the opportunity to see the research backing the newly updated milestones. We hope you take the time to read and share these developmental milestones—and ASHAWire’s latest Special Collection!
