A Conversation Roadmap for Talking with Families about their Child’s Development
Conversations about developmental screening results and concerns can be time-consuming and anxiety-provoking for families and pediatric primary care providers, early educators, and home visitors. Yet the benefits are clear: when families and their child’s providers have productive conversations about a child’s development, they are better equipped to work as a team to co-create and follow through on a collaborative plan that supports the best outcomes for the child.
To simplify, support, and strengthen these important and often challenging conversations, the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, in partnership with and funded by Ariadne Labs, has created the Development is a Journey Conversation Roadmap for family-facing providers. The Roadmap is designed to facilitate these conversations with seven short and simple steps to actively engage parents and other caregivers in planning for their child’s developmental needs, and enhance the provider-parent partnership.
There are three versions of the Conversation Roadmap: one for pediatric primary care providers, another for home visitors, and a third for early care and education providers. Each version is accompanied by an Implementation Guide that describes how to use the Roadmap in your conversations with parents and other caregivers. Review the Roadmap and Implementation Guide relevant to your professional role. The Roadmaps are fillable PDFs that can be completed electronically or printed and filled out by hand.
For Pediatric Primary Care Providers
- Development is a Journey Conversation Roadmap
- Download in full color (PDF)
- Download in blue (PDF, printer friendly)
- Download in gray (PDF, printer friendly)
- Implementation Guide (PDF)
For Home Visitors
- Development is a Journey Conversation Roadmap
- Download in full color (PDF)
- Download in blue (PDF, printer friendly)
- Download in gray (PDF, printer friendly)
- Implementation Guide (PDF)
For Early Care and Education Providers
- Development is a Journey Conversation Roadmap
- Download in full color (PDF)
- Download in blue (PDF, printer friendly)
- Download in gray (PDF, printer friendly)
- Implementation Guide (PDF)
For more information about developmental screening, review these resources for providers and parents:
- Learn the Signs. Act Early. Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive! Developed through a Partnership between Help Me Grow, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S Department of Education.
Do you have questions about the Conversation Roadmap, or would you like us to train your staff in how to use it? Email us at touchpoints@childrens.harvard.edu
