ABP Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics key terms

Ongoing, longitudinal process in which clinicians track a child's milestones, risk factors, and parental concerns at every well-child visit and decide whether further evaluation is needed.

Brief, standardized questionnaire or test given at set ages to identify children whose development lags behind peers and who need fuller evaluation; screening does not by itself establish a diagnosis.

A skill most children can perform within a certain age range, such as walking alone by 18 months; milestones guide surveillance, although normal variation exists and isolated late achievement is common.

Loss of previously acquired skills such as words, walking, or social smiling; developmental regression is a red flag warranting prompt evaluation for seizures, metabolic disease, or neurodegenerative disorders.

Failure to achieve expected large-muscle milestones such as rolling, sitting, cruising, or walking within accepted age windows; causes include hypotonia, cerebral palsy, and benign variations in timing.

Opposition of thumb and index finger to pick up small objects, typically emerging between 9 and 12 months; absence by 12 to 15 months suggests fine motor delay needing review.

Measurement plotted on growth curves to assess brain growth; rapid upward crossing of percentiles suggests hydrocephalus, while a very small head may indicate microcephaly or a genetic syndrome.

Ability to share focus on an object with another person using gaze, pointing, or showing; it emerges between 9 and 14 months and is an early marker of social communication development.

Use of language, gesture, eye contact, and facial expression to interact socially rather than merely to request; deficits in this area are central to autism spectrum disorder.

The understanding that other people hold beliefs, desires, and knowledge different from one's own; it develops through early childhood and underlies empathy, pretend play, and social problem solving.

A child's growing capacity to manage arousal, attention, emotion, and behavior in response to situational demands; it is supported early by caregiver co-regulation and later by maturing executive function.

Biologically based, relatively stable style of reacting to stimulation and regulating behavior, described along dimensions such as activity, intensity, persistence, and adaptability; it shapes the fit between child and environment.

Higher-order cognitive processes including working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility that enable planning and goal-directed behavior; these skills develop rapidly in preschool years and mature through adolescence.

An enduring emotional bond between infant and caregiver shaped by responsive caregiving; secure attachment predicts better social-emotional adjustment, while disorganized patterns raise concern about maltreatment or caregiver mental health.

Atypical reactions to touch, sound, movement, or other sensory input, ranging from over-responsiveness to sensory seeking or under-registration; common in autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions but not diagnostic alone.

A neurodevelopmental disorder defined by persistent, impairing inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity across settings, with symptoms beginning before age 12 and exceeding expectations for the child's developmental level.

A pattern of angry or irritable mood, argumentative behavior, and vindictiveness toward adults lasting at least six months and causing impairment; frequency, intensity, and cross-situational persistence distinguish it from typical limit-testing.

Developmentally inappropriate, persistent distress about separation from attachment figures, with worry about harm or refusal to separate, lasting weeks to months and interfering with school, sleep, or daily activities.

Consistent failure to speak in specific social situations where speech is expected, despite speaking elsewhere, lasting at least one month and not explained by unfamiliarity with the language or a communication disorder.

A neurodevelopmental condition defined by persistent differences in social communication and interaction plus restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests, present early in development and causing functional impairment across settings.

Significant delay in two or more developmental domains in a child younger than five, used when standardized testing is not yet feasible; it signals the need for etiologic evaluation.

Limitations in general intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior originating during the developmental period; diagnosis requires standardized cognitive testing and assessment of everyday functioning, not an IQ score alone.

The most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, caused by an expanded CGG repeat in FMR1; affected boys usually show language delay, gaze avoidance, anxiety, and characteristic physical features.

A chromosomal condition caused by trisomy 21, associated with intellectual disability, hypotonia, congenital heart disease, hearing loss, and increased risk of sleep apnea and thyroid disease.

Range of effects from prenatal alcohol exposure, including characteristic facial features, growth deficiency, and brain-based neurobehavioral deficits; diagnosis requires confirmed or probable exposure plus structural or functional findings.

A group of permanent movement and posture disorders caused by nonprogressive injury to the developing brain, often accompanied by seizures, feeding difficulty, and communication or learning problems.

Sudden, rapid, recurrent movements or vocalizations that wax and wane; transient tics are common, while persistent tic disorder and Tourette syndrome require longer duration and, for Tourette, motor plus vocal tics.

A specific learning disability affecting accurate and fluent word reading and spelling despite adequate instruction and intelligence; it reflects a language-based phonological processing difference rather than low effort.

A standardized instrument scored against a representative comparison group, producing standard scores and percentiles; interpretation requires attention to reliability, validity, and the child's behavior during testing.

Sensitivity is the proportion of children with a condition who screen positive; specificity is the proportion without it who screen negative; together they describe how well a screen separates true cases from false alarms.

The probability that a child with a positive screen truly has the condition; it depends on sensitivity, specificity, and the prevalence of the condition in the population being screened.

A parent-completed autism screening checklist for toddlers, with a structured follow-up interview for positive screens; it estimates risk and prompts referral but does not diagnose autism spectrum disorder.

The current diagnostic manual that classifies mental and behavioral disorders using explicit symptom criteria, duration, and impairment thresholds; clinicians apply it cautiously when evaluating young children whose behavior varies with context.

Federally mandated services for infants and toddlers with developmental delay or established risk, delivered through an individualized family service plan that emphasizes coaching caregivers and working in natural environments.

A written plan developed by a school team, including parents, specifying a child's special education needs, measurable goals, services, and placement; it governs school-based support for eligible children.

Structured intervention teaching caregivers to reinforce prosocial behavior, set predictable limits, and apply consistent consequences; it is first-line treatment for disruptive behavior and a core component of ADHD care in young children.

Psychostimulants such as methylphenidate are first-line pharmacotherapy for ADHD in school-age children; benefits and adverse effects vary, so dosing requires careful titration with monitoring of growth, sleep, and appetite.

An intervention approach applying learning principles to build skills and reduce problem behavior through structured observation, data collection, and individualized reinforcement; intensity, targets, and delivery vary widely across programs.

Augmentative and alternative communication includes signs, picture systems, and speech-generating devices that support or replace speech; introducing it does not prevent speech development and often reduces frustration.

A primary care model providing continuous, coordinated, family-centered care, including care coordination and transition planning; it anchors services for children with developmental and behavioral conditions.