Anticipatory guidance for cognitive and social-emotional development: Birth to five years

Abstract

The present article serves as a quick office reference for clinicians, providing anticipatory guidance about the cognitive and social-emotional development of newborns, and children up to five years of age. The present review links recommendations to specific evidence in the medical literature, citing sources of developmental standards and advice, so that these may be further explored if desired. Practising primary care providers have indicated that these are areas of child development that are not well addressed by training and other available resources. The present article includes parenting information on important clinical presentations with which clinicians may be less familiar, such as promoting attachment, prosocial behaviours, healthy sleep habits, self-discipline and problem-solving; as well as on managing behaviours that are part of normal development, such as separation anxiety, tantrums, aggression, picky eating and specific fears. Information on the development of language, literacy and socialization are also included.

Evidence-based milestone ages as a framework for developmental surveillance

“…Understanding trajectories enables interpretation of parent concerns and anticipatory guidance (2). Typical child development has changed little over time and is described in excellent textbooks (21), which compile knowledge from primary studies not easily accessed by many clinicians.…”

“…Developmental surveillance is monitoring a child's development over time to promote healthy development and identify children who may have developmental problems (1). Anticipatory guidance helps parents anticipate the next developmental stage and manage developmentally appropriate behaviours (2). Office surveillance of child development is essential for early identification and treatment of developmental disorders; however, adequate training for this important triage task is lacking, especially in the cognitive and social-emotional sectors.…”

Explaining culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) parents’ access of healthcare services for developmental surveillance and anticipatory guidance: qualitative findings from the ‘Watch Me Grow’ study

“…A preventative approach through anticipatory guidance is commonly incorporated into child health checks, which refer to informing parents of what to expect at the next stage of their child’s development and providing them information on issues such as nutrition, sleep and settling, behaviour management and injury prevention. This information is often provided in conjunction with regular health checks, developmental surveillance and child and family psychosocial assessment [ 4 , 5 ]. There is a wealth of literature highlighting the effectiveness of these activities on improving parent-child interactions [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Child Physical Abuse: A Pathway to Comprehensive Prevention

“…Anticipatory guidance provides information about physical, emotional, psychological, and developmental changes relevant to the child's age to promote healthy development. Pediatricians provide education regarding a variety of developmental milestones relevant to the child's situation (e.g., Dosman and Andrews 2012). The American Academy of Pediatrics has created a system of anticipatory guidance called Bright Futures that includes the schedule for distributing content that is recommended for each pediatric visit based on the child's age (American Academy of Pediatrics n.d.).…”