Child Development

SAMHSA’S Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Offers information on child and adolescent mental development, as well as, many other various healthy development resources.

Emotions and Behavior
Provides resources for understanding your child's behavior, feelings and emotions. Some topics covered include: bullying, helping a child through death & divorce, separation anxiety and sportsmanship.  

Early ACCESS Iowa
The purpose of Early ACCESS Iowa is to assist families in connecting with Early ACCESS and community-based services that address specialized child and family needs through a user friendly system, which includes the following toll-free number: 1-888-IAKIDS1 or 1-888-4254371.

COMPASS
Iowa COMPASS is a free, statewide information and referral service for people with disabilities, their families, service providers and other members of the community.

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Offers a list of developmental milestones in how children play, learn, speak and act.

Learning Disabilities Association of America
Provides information on understanding learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Healthy Minds-Nurturing Your Child’s Development
Provides information that summarizes key findings and suggests how you might be able to use these findings to nurture your own child’s healthy development.

Brain Wonders - Helping Babies and Toddlers Grow & Develop
Provides information about early brain development and the relationships between babies and their parents and caregivers that support intellectual and social-emotional development.

Developmental Interactive Tools for Parents
This interactive tool allows you to view how a developmental milestone category (social and emotional, cognitive, or language) changes as a child grows.

CDC Child Development Parenting Tips
Offers positive parenting tips and strategies in relation to developmental milestones.

Developmental Appropriate Activities

National Association for the Education of Young Children
Provides information on a wide range of topics including: quality child care programs, preschool, school for your child and activities you can do at home to encourage your child's development.

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones
Provides a list of developmental stages specifically related to speech and language.

March of Dimes Developmental Milestones
Offers a set of guidelines for what to expect regarding developmental milestones and the growing child, as well as an “ask the expert” service available to answer child health related questions.

University of Iowa Early Childhood Resource Library
The Disability Resource Library is a resource for people of all ages with disabilities of all kinds. It is also a resource for families, and for the service providers with whom they work.

Bright Futures
Provides tools and resources such as family tip sheets on common early childhood issues including: sleeping, quality child care, behavior, crying and preparing for school.

Early Periodic, Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment
On this site, you will find useful information screening guidelines and tools to promote healthy physical, mental, social, and emotional development, so that all children in Iowa are able to reach their full potential. Topics for screenings include: nutrition, mental health & development, oral health, immunizations, lead testing, hearing and vision testing, and a health physical.

Growth and Development
Provides information on how to understand and deal with your child's changing body and mind from infancy through the teen years. Topics include: sleep, senses, movement, medical care, learning & play, growth, feeding & eating and growing up.

First Signs
Provides a wealth of resources, covering a range of issues: from healthy development, to concerns about a child; from the screening and referral process, to treatments for autism and other disorders.

American Academy of Pediatrics
Offers a wide range of information and resources on child health topics including: ADHD, autism, breastfeeding, car safety seats, developmental stages, immunizations and obesity.

Child Health Specialty Clinics
The Child Health Specialty Clinics works to improve the health, development and well-being of children and youth with special health care needs. Some of their services include: coordination of care for families, family support, continuity of care, autism program and child health.  The site will provide a listing of the regional CHSC and the parent consultants at each regional center. 

Healthy Families Line
This is a toll free line that provides information to parents on topics including: immunizations for children, prenatal/maternal health, infant/child health, domestic abuse, adolescent health, pregnancy, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, child care and much more.  

Local Maternal Health Agencies
The agencies provide prenatal and postpartum care to Medicaid eligible and other low-income women.

Local Child Health Agencies
The child health agencies provide child health services in 99 counties for children and youth ages 0 to 21.

Publications

Child Development Publications ISU Extension
Provides publications that you can order or download from your computer (Adobe PDF) on topics such as Fears – Understanding Children, Disciplining Your Preschooler, Temper Tantrums – Understanding Children

National Association for the Education of Young Children Brochures for Families
Offers a selection of brochures at a reduced cost that NAEYC has packaged especially for parents and families.

Pocket Guide to Good Health for Children
This is a quick guide to a variety of child health topics including: immunizations, growth & development, newborn screening, lead, child abuse, nutrition/physical activity and developmental milestones.

SAMHSA’S National Mental Health Information Center
Provides publications free of charge to families on topics such as Caring for Your Child, Building Self Esteem in Children and Helping the Child Who is Expressing Anger.