Screening and Assessment of Child Development – for Children from 0 to 9 yrs

Dear parents, we know that the period of early childhood development is dynamic, but also extremely important for the acquisition of new knowledge and skills by the child. Early diagnosis and support are fundamental to the child’s development and the opportunity to learn quickly and compensate for delays at an early age. We are all aware of the plasticity of the nervous system of children from 0 to 5 years of age, so early support is crucial.

You can contact our specialists for “Screening and Assessment of Child Development”, which we offer for children from 0 to 9 years. For children up to 8 years the service is free.

Who is the service for?

Screening and assessment tools are appropriate for children 0 to 9 years of age who have developmental concerns or are at risk of being delayed in any of the developmental domains. No medical referral is required to visit us.

It is enough for a parent to fill out the registration form HERE indicating the service: “Screening and assessment of child development (for children from 0 to 9 years)”. We will contact you to specify a date and time for a meeting at Karin Dom at: Varna, 86A Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. To contact us: 052/302 518; 0878 302 518

What do parents share?

Parents report that the assessment gives information about the skills a child should have at a certain age, which is useful for what they should emphasize on at home and which skills are too early to be developed yet.

The screening and assessment of child development IS NOT A DIAGNOSIS

The activity is an assessment of child development, in particular mental development, gross and fine motor skills, adaptive skills, social-emotional development, communication and behavioral manifestations. This assessment is made by a clinical psychologist with many years of experience in working with children, using internationally recognized, standardized and adapted screening and test methods for Bulgarian conditions.

The goal is early detection of delays or deviations in the child’s development.

These tools are used to establish: the abilities and skills that the child has mastered in accordance with their chronological age; the abilities and skills they are lagging in mastering; as well as those for which the child’s development is ahead of schedule.

The purpose of the service is to make a complete profile of the child’s development, which will show parents and specialists what the child’s strengths are and what needs to be paid more attention to. Also, this service is suitable for parents who are still looking for an answer to the question “Are there any concerns about my child’s development?”, as such an assessment could provide a snapshot of the child’s skills and help guide parents to the right support and if necessary – to a specialist for diagnosis.

How does screening and assessment of child development work?

Depending on the age of the child and the concerns of the parents, one or more meetings are held with the child and the parents, selecting the appropriate diagnostic tools and activities according to the age of the child.

In the form of a game, the specialists try the activities with the child and show the parent the skills that the child has mastered or needs to develop. Playing during the process in the presence of the parent predisposes the child and relieves tension. Parents and caregivers are involved in the process. Once completed and processed by the specialist, parents are given feedback on the results and guidance on next steps.

Screening and diagnostic tools we can offer you for free are:

• ASQ®-3 Ages & Stages Questionnaires;
• DP-3 – Rating scale for evaluating child development;

The tools we use assess child development and indicate whether the child needs further assessment or support.

For information on applying other assessment tools, please contact us at the contacts provided.

The sooner these assessments are done, the sooner professionals (early childhood development consultants, therapists) can intervene and support the child and family, the better chance they have to make progress.

Some of the assessments are completed by the parents themselves, which allows the specialist to direct the parent or carer’s attention to the specific skills the child needs to achieve at that age and what the next steps are.

The purpose of using these diagnostic tools is not to make a specific diagnosis. However, the information obtained can be a starting point for choosing and planning appropriate interventions, as well as for tracking the child’s development over time.

Sometimes it happens that the parent has not tried certain activities with the child because they think that they are too young or that they will not be able to do it. With the developmental assessment, the specialist shows which are the activities and which are the skills that the child should be able to do at his age. This is an objective way for the parent to “check his watch” and see for himself/herself whether the child needs additional support. The parent’s participation in the process builds a relationship of trust with the specialists, which facilitates contact with the child.

Our team

The specialists who use the screening and diagnostic tools have undergone training in their application, have in-depth knowledge of early child development and have many years of experience in working with children with various conditions and developmental disorders.

The service is free for children from 0 to 8 years and is implemented under the project “Full and comprehensive early support for children with special needs and their families to improve their well-being and reduce the risk of social exclusion” of Karin Dom, financed by the Program Development of Human Resources.