Nipissing District Developmental Screen

A "Developmental Screen" is a short checklist of some of the most important skills that a child should master by a particular age. A Developmental Screen 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.

Gross motor (large muscle)
• Fine motor (small muscle)
• Vision
• Hearing
• Communication, speech and language
• Social-emotional
• Self-help skills
• Cognitive skills

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

Some items have been marked with an 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.

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.

The Screens are currently available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.

Don’t adjust for prematurity.

If the child falls between two ages, please use the earlier screen, e.g. for 4 1/2 year old use the 4 Year 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.

If two or more “No” responses are marked, a referral to a healthcare and/or childcare professional is recommended.

 

The NDDS screens are available free of charge to Ontario residents only on the web site.

Please go to www.ndds.ca . On the home page, please allow a few seconds for your IP address to be detected before clicking on “Ontario”. To insure that you are on the Ontario pages, please click on the down arrow beside “Region” in the top right hand corner of the white tool bar. Select Ontario.

Please follow the attached directions to access the free version of the NDDS. If you are not being recognized as an Ontario resident, please respond to this email and the problem will be corrected.

Also, please note that the eNDDS, an electronic version of the NDDS is now available at no charge to Ontario residents. The electronic version is primarily for parents.

Parents can go to www.endds.com to register their child and complete the most relevant screen. On the appropriate date the parent will receive an email reminder and immediate link to the next screen for their child. Directions are included in the attached document.