ndds

Question 1 on the Three Year Screening tool asks:  Does your child speak clearly all of the time.  What does that mean?

I thought I was always supposed to put my baby on his back. Why is the ndds telling me to put him on his tummy?

Can you explain item 16 on the two year old screen?

Considering the growing evidence for conservative management of otitis media why does the ndds on the 18 month screen include the message? "I may get ear infections. Talk to my doctor about signs and symptoms?"

I'm a parent/caregiver, where can I get more information after I've completed the ndds?

We use the ndds in our childcare regularly.  Our practice is to complete the screen in the childcare and then meet with the parents to review the results. Recently we met with a parent who strongly disagreed with our findings.  What should we do? 

How are the activity sheets to be used?

Can I incorporate the ndds into other documents (calendars, books, etc.)?

How is the ndds referenced?

What is the ndds?

The ndds is a short checklist of some of the most important skills that a child should master by a particular age. The NDDS is not a diagnostic tool and it is not meant to be a formal assessment of the child's skills -- but rather a quick survey to determine any areas that may require some extra help.

Back to Top

Why was the ndds revised?

The Board of Directors of the Nipissing District Developmental Screen (ndds) has undertaken a review of the items on the Screens because of new research and best practices that have been published and adopted since our last revision in 2000. Our hope is that at the end of this process we will be able to offer families an even better tool for monitoring their child's development.

Back to Top

What are the benefits of developmental screening?

The Screens help parents:

• Learn about their child's development
• Recognize their child's skills and abilities
• Identify developmental areas that may need extra attention
• Plan intervention strategies, including referrals to qualified professionals, if required
• Promote early identification

Back to Top

Is the ndds available in other languages?

The Screens are currently available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Numerous other languages are being developed.

Back to Top

Is the ndds appropriate for different cultures?

The - items are sensitive to the varying cultural values in child rearing and allow for alternate experiences. Some items have been marked with a double asterisk to indicate the item may not be common to all cultures. In some situations, developmental differences may reflect the culturally based experiences that the child has had, rather than indicate a delay. In these situations it is important to respect the family's culture. Discussion with the family may provide a teaching opportunity, but not necessitate a referral.

Speech and language skills are specific to a child's first language. Caution must be taken when interpreting "no" responses when the Screen administered is not in the child's first language. It may be necessary to seek the advice of a speech-language pathologist. Our Screen has the advantage of being informal with the flexibility to choose more culturally relevant examples and situations.

Back to Top

What is the correct way to administer the ndds with families?

The Screens can be administered in a variety of ways such as:

• Face-to-face with a parent
• Over the phone with a parent
• At a doctor's office or well-baby clinic
• By mail out - make sure there is a contact number for a person or program for follow-up
• As part of a registration package at a daycare
• As part of a service provider's intake package
• Registration package at a school

The Screen is often explained as a quick and easy checklist of skills typically observed in children of this age. It requires a "yes" or "no" answer and it will help to identify whether or not your child is developing as expected.

• Emotional
• Fine motor
• Gross Motor
• Social Self Help
• Communication (Speech/Language)
• Learning and Thinking

To find out more about these areas of development visit Activities in this website.

Back to Top

Do we adjust the Screen for prematurity?

Evidence based practice advises the close monitoring of premature infants as "high risk" therefore to correct for prematurity or not would be based on your current clinical practice.

Back to Top

Are there Pervasive Developmental Disorders / Autism indicators included on the Screen?

The NDDS is not intended for diagnosing any condition including Pervasive Developmental Disorders / Autism. It is intended to identify children with delays in any area of development. There are items built into the Screen that should prompt further investigation.

Back to Top

My 15-month baby says num-num and brmm-brmm, are these real words?

Yes, these are consistent utterances that are recognized by adults most familiar with the baby. E.g. "num-num" for food and "brmm-brmm" for car.  The words do not have to be clear.

Back to Top

Why did the item change on the 18 month screen to increase the number of words that a child says from 5-20 words?

Speech and language delays are the most frequently occurring among young children. It is important that children with a suspected delay are referred to a Speech-language Pathologist. The research supporting this change indicates that at 18 months of age the average child was reported to produce approximately 85 words. Remember that these words include animal sounds and sound effects and do not have to be clearly articulated. 

(Reference: Fenson,L., Marchman, V.A., Thal, D.J., Dale, P.S., Reznick, J.S., Bates, E (2007) MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventories: Users guide and technical manual. Baltimore: Paul. H. Brookes Publishing Co.)

Back to Top

Does my child have to say the exact sounds on item 4 of the 18 month screen?

The sounds indicated are only examples. The intent of the item is that the child makes at least 4 different consonant sounds. Listen for any sounds that are common in your child and family's first language.

Back to Top

Question 1 on the Three Year Screening tool asks: Does your child speak clearly all of the time. What does that mean?

"Speaking clearly all of the time" means that the child is understandable or easy to understand; it does not mean that the articulation of specific speech sounds is perfect.

Back to Top

I thought I was always supposed to put my baby on his back. Why is the ndds telling me to put him on his tummy?

Though care providers are told to put babies on their backs to sleep, it is important for babies to have playtime on their tummies. This is how they strengthen their muscles and learn to hold their heads up. Of course, babies need to be supervised during play.

Back to Top

Can you explain item 16 on the two year old screen?

Use skills already learned and develop new ones: Children build on skills they already have. It warrants further investigation if a child stops using words that they have mastered, or shows an increase in tripping and falling, or stops walking when he/she has been able to walk. Any loss of skills should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Back to Top

Considering the growing evidence for conservative management of otitis media why does the ndds on the 18 month screen include the message?

"I may get ear infections. Talk to my doctor about signs and symptoms?"

As you may be aware the ndds has recently been revised. On the previous screens we had the question, "Does your child have healthy ears"? We moved the item over to the activities so that this can become a "teachable moment" in discussing current management with the family. It may also bring up discussion with regards to a toddler that has had numerous infections and noted delays in the speech items.

Back to Top

I'm a parent/caregiver, where can I get more information after I've completed the ndds?

Contact your local health unit, authority, department, primary health provider or childcare professional.

Back to Top

We use the ndds in our childcare regularly. Our practice is to complete the screen in the childcare and then meet with the parent to review the results. Recently we have met with a parent who strongly disagreed with our findings. What should we do?

You are on the right track, meeting with all parents to talk about the screen results.  The ndds is a checklist that is meant as a point of discussion with the parents, so if they have observed something that you haven't or likewise if you have observed something that they haven't, together you create a more realistic view of what the child can do. It is important to remember that children may perform differently in different environments. You should also indicate to them that it is not a pass/fail test, but just a guideline.

Back to Top

The "Activities for Your Baby/Child" section is intended to provide parents and other caregivers with information and activities to enhance their infant or child's development. Each activity is coded with an icon to represent a primary area of development. If parents have questions or concerns about the appropriateness of any activity for their infant or child they should contact a healthcare or childcare professional.

Back to Top

If I live in Ontario, Canada can the Screens and activities be photocopied?

Ontario residents can download and photocopy the free for Ontario version of the Screens and activities found on the ndds website. This is possible due to a Licensing Agreement with the Province of Ontario. However, any completed Screen may be photocopied to be placed in a child's file or chart.

Back to Top

If I live outside Ontario, Canada can the Screens and activities be photocopied?

The NDDS is licensed and protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaty. Purchase or other use of the Screen indicates agreement to be bound by the terms of the Product License. Therefore, blank Screens and activity sheets cannot be reproduced in any form. However, a completed Screen may be photocopied to be placed in a child's file or chart.

Back to Top

Can I incorporate the ndds into other documents (calendars, books, etc.)?

All requests for the ndds to be incorporated into other documents must be submitted in writing to info@ndds.ca for consideration.

Back to Top

How should the ndds referenced?

The APA style is as follows:

(2000). Nipissing District Developmental Screen. Nipissing District Developmental Screen Intellectual Property Association. North Bay: NDDS.

Back to Top