For the first time in decades, the nation’s top pediatricians have changed the checklist of developmental milestones for infants and young children to make it easier to identify delays that could be a sign of autism or other social-communication disabilities.
The updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made with the American Academy of Pediatrics, raised the percentage of children who typically meet certain milestones from 50 percent to 75 percent, an important adjustment signifying that instead of just half, now the majority of children are capable of certain behaviors and achievements at specified ages.
