Family Guides By Age

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Milestones matter! Track your child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists; get tips from CDC for encouraging your child’s development; and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.

From birth to age 5, your child should reach milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves. Photos and videos in this app illustrate each milestone and make tracking them for your child easy and fun!

Identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the earliest age possible is of the utmost importance — early treatment can be very beneficial to the child and their family.

Abnormalities in how babies acts socially, as well as how they pay attention to and interact with their non-social environment, could be early warning signs. A delay in speech alone generally does not signify autism, but in combination with other warning signs, could suggest that a toddler is at risk.

Click here to see the early warning signs describing what children at risk for an ASD between 12–24 months generally don't do, as well as a description of what they might do. Note, it is very common for typically-developing toddlers to also show some of the red flags listed in the checklist.

There are a few ways to get assessed and diagnosed for a disabilitiy/Autism Diagnosis:

1. Psychologist specialized in Autism

2. Neurologist specialized in Autism

3. Developmental Pediatrician specialized in Autism

4. Regional Center (Need a Psychologist specialized in Autism)

Regional centers provide diagnosis and assessment of eligibility and help plan, access, coordinate and monitor the services and supports that are needed because of a developmental disability. There is no charge for the diagnosis and eligibility assessment.

Once eligibility is determined, a case manager or service coordinator is assigned to help develop a plan for services, tell you where services are available, and help you get the services. Most services and supports are free regardless of age or income.

A person-centered planning approach is used to decide where a person with developmental disabilities will live and the kinds of services needed. Everyone who uses regional center services has a planning team that includes the individual using the services, family members, regional center staff and anyone else who is asked to be there by the individual. The team ensures that services support the individual’s choices including where they live, how they spend the day, and their hopes and dreams for the future.

To be eligible for services, a person must have a disability that begins before the individual’s 18th birthday that is expected to continue indefinitely and present a substantial disability. Qualifying conditions include intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and other disabling conditions as defined in Section 4512(a)(1) of the California Welfare and Institutions Code.

Eligibility is established through diagnosis and assessment performed by regional centers.

Based on the assessment and diagnosis of your child from the Clinician, time is of the essence to obtain therapy providers for your child as studies show the sooner a child starts therapy the better the outcome will be for the child's overall development. 

First, identify your child doesn't have a hearing issue, nose, and throat problem. Then move onto selecting the therapies needed for your child.

Check out the list of Autism Providers for your review on this wesbite. This list of Autism Providers are shared by Parents of Autism children. The information is not considered a recommendation for your child. You should first consult with your Child's Clinician on appropriate services for your Child. 

Here are some list of videos you can watch to start educating yourself about Autism.

Changes in the Concept of Autism - Francesca Happé CBE

How autism drives human invention with Simon Baron-Cohen

Is Your Child Misdiagnosed? Dr. Ronald Leaf on the Challenges of Autism Diagnosis. 

You can participate in the Parent Group Support here or you can find other parent group supports in your local area via facebook or local autism organizations.

First 100 Day Guide (PDF) is a handbook developed by Autism Speaks, one of the leading non-profit autism organizations. This free handbook is a must have for parents with a newly diagnosed child with autism.

Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center has created an IEP Toolkit to support Families during their Child's IEP process. Learn more about IEP timelines, creating a one-pager, developing an IEP checklist, and more!

Parents of children with autism are often overwhelmed by the complexities of transitioning out of the school system into the fragmented system of adult care. This checklist from Stanford Autism Center and Autism Society SF Bay Area is intended to provide an overview of many of the elements to consider during this transition period and beyond.

Please click here for the checklist!