EARLYThree is a tool to collect data that parents and pediatricians can share between themselves, in order to keep a watchful eye on the early stages of a child’s development. This app is developed by WebTeam Corporation in collaboration with Dr. Michael Lewis, founding director of the Autism Center at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. It is part of the ColorsKit package of autism treatment and education programs.
The way EARLYThree lets you understand the progress of an infant’s cognitive development. While simple yet extraordinary, it contains a series of questions about your child’s mental growth at 8 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, and 24 to 36 months. By answering these questions, you ascertain whether your child’s progress is age-appropriate.
You will not be able to access the questions for each screening interval until your child reaches that age, but once your child attains a screening milepost, you may repeat the screening as many times as you want until your child reaches the next interval.
For example, you may not access the 12-month screening until your child turns 12 months old, but you may repeat the same screening as many times as you want until the child turns 15 months old.
Here are a few sample questions from the app:
◘ Does your child turn around to look at you when his/her name is called?
◘ Does your child imitate you when you clap hands or wave bye-bye?
◘ Does your child point at things?
◘ Does your child smile back at you when you smile at him/her?
You just need to answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
It may seem that the number of children with autism and other learning disabilities is on a steep rise in the U.S. and other parts of the world. In many cases this is primarily due to the availability of improved diagnostic tools that are very good at indicating early signs of developmental delays. However, when it comes to diagnosing an autism spectrum disorder, one should never understate the role of an experienced pediatrician.
About Dr. Michael Lewis
Dr. Lewis is University Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, and Director of the Institute for the Study of Child Development at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School - University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
He also is Professor of Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, and Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University.