Action for Autism: New program brings parents together to track kid’s development

PHOENIX — Parents know how quickly their children grow and develop right before their very eyes, and one Valley organization has developed a free program to help them track their child’s development.

The Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center is rolling out a new program called Milestones to allow parents to track the progress of their child’s first year-and-a-half.

Along the way, the group will look for the infants to hit certain milestones. That includes responding to sound at 2-months-old and smiling back and forth with parents at 4-months-old.

“We also talk about (some) things that you can do to maximize engagement with your child and to create opportunities so that they can continue to develop in the way we expect them to,” said Alex Boglio, clinical manager of education and training at SAARC.

If an infant is demonstrating the early warning signs of autism, Boglio said that infant will have regularly scheduled assessments to make sure they are developing appropriately.

“If at any point we suspect that autism has some potential, then we might offer some elevated services for that family,” she said.

One of the services in Milestones is early intervention, which Boglio said can lead to positive outcomes for children.

Through early intervention, SAARC will teach parents how to create goals for their child, related to milestones that their child has not reached.

Boglio said the program is also a way for parents to come together and share their experiences and stories about their children’s development.