Parents in Greene County quickly learn that childhood moves fast. One week a newborn tracks a ceiling fan with sleepy eyes, the next week they fixate on a face and coo. Those small changes are not random. They reflect a well-mapped sequence of neurological, motor, social, and language development. The reason pediatricians pay such careful attention to these milestones is simple: the earlier we spot a delay, the better we can support a child’s trajectory. Development is not a race, but it does have windows when the brain is most ready to learn. Missed windows are not the end of the story, but they do make progress harder.
In Springfield, families have strong options for routine developmental screenings and follow-up care. Between pediatric primary care practices, pediatric specialists, and the two major hospital systems, help is close and accessible. If you are new to the area or a first-time parent, here is a grounded guide to what screenings look like, what milestones and red flags matter at different ages, and how local resources can meet your child where they are.
What a developmental screening actually is
A developmental screening is not an IQ test, and it is not a diagnosis. Think of it as a quick, structured check that compares your child’s skills to research-based expectations for their age. We use validated questionnaires and brief observations to see whether a child is on track in the core domains: gross motor, fine motor, language, problem-solving, and social-emotional development.
In a typical visit at a pediatric clinic in Springfield MO, you fill out a caregiver questionnaire in the waiting room or through a patient portal before you arrive. Tools like the Ages and Stages Questionnaire or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers translate small behaviors into a score. The clinician then talks with you about your answers, watches your child interact and play, and considers the whole picture. If something looks off, we may rescreen sooner, refer to Early Intervention, or order assessments with pediatric specialists. If everything looks good, we celebrate progress and share ideas to keep your child’s skills growing.
Not every child needs a full evaluation, but every child benefits from a screening schedule and a trusted pediatrician. Families who see a board certified pediatrician in Springfield MO usually complete screens at 9, 18, and 30 months, with autism-specific screens at 18 and 24 months. Many practices add quick checks at almost every well visit, especially in the first two years.
Why timing matters more than labels
Parents sometimes hesitate to raise concerns because they fear a label. In practice, early referrals do not lock a child into a diagnosis. They open doors. When a two-year-old starts speech therapy, for example, we are not branding them forever as delayed. We are giving them targeted stimulation at the time their brain is making critical connections. I have seen late talkers who, with six months of parent coaching and play-based therapy, leap from a handful of signs to dozens of words. I have also seen children whose delays signaled something more complex, and for them, early action meant fewer frustrations in preschool and smoother transitions to kindergarten.
The trade-off with waiting is lost time. By age three, most brain circuits for language and social communication have established their patterns. That does not mean older children cannot make gains, but it does mean progress often requires more intensity. Put differently, the earlier we act, the lighter the lift.
How Springfield’s care ecosystem supports families
Springfield has a practical advantage in geography and resources. You can find a pediatrician near Mercy Hospital Springfield MO or a pediatrician near CoxHealth Springfield MO, plus community pediatric practices spread from Battlefield to north of Kearney. Families looking for a pediatrician accepting new patients in Springfield MO will usually find openings, especially in family-friendly practices that emphasize continuity and patient education.
Primary care is the anchor. Most developmental screenings in Springfield MO happen during child wellness exams in Springfield Missouri. 417 Integrative Medicine Those visits also cover growth, sleep, feeding, immunizations for kids in Springfield MO, and safety counseling. When something needs extra attention, your pediatrician coordinates referrals. That might include a pediatric ADHD doctor in Springfield Missouri for attention or behavior concerns, a pediatric ear nose throat specialist for recurrent ear infections affecting hearing and speech, or pediatric nutrition counseling in Springfield MO for underweight toddlers and selective eaters. The larger systems connect to Springfield MO children’s hospital doctors for complex needs and to pediatric chronic care programs for ongoing conditions like asthma or diabetes.
For families who need flexible scheduling, same day pediatric appointments in Springfield MO are increasingly common. Many clinics added pediatric telehealth in Springfield Missouri for triage visits, medication follow-ups, and parent coaching. Urgent issues such as high fever, ear pain, or minor injuries can be seen at pediatric urgent care in Springfield MO, though developmental concerns are better handled during a thoughtfully scheduled visit with your primary pediatrician.
What milestones tell us, age by age
Every child brings their own temperament and timing. The ranges below reflect typical windows. A child who misses a milestone by a few weeks is not necessarily delayed. Patterns matter more than single moments, and steady progress counts.
Birth to 2 months: At this stage, we look for the basics of regulation and attention. Does your newborn care in Springfield Missouri include feeding support and safe sleep guidance, and is your infant waking to feed and calming with familiar voices? Most babies start to focus on faces at 6 to 8 weeks, lift their head briefly during tummy time, and startle at loud sounds. A baby who never startles or never turns toward voices deserves a closer look at hearing.
By 4 months: Infants laugh, bring hands to mouth, and push up on forearms. They track objects smoothly and enjoy faces. They start to reach for toys and explore with their mouths. If a baby stays very floppy or very stiff, ignores voices, or never smiles socially by 3 to 4 months, that raises concern.
By 6 months: Rolling both ways emerges, along with passing objects hand to hand, babbling, and responding to name. Many babies start solids around now. If a baby cannot sit with support, keeps both hands fisted most of the time, or shows no interest in sounds or people, we screen more closely.
By 9 months: Sit independently, clap or bang toys, peekaboo, and early consonant sounds like ba and da. Babies will look where you look and show curiosity. Lack of babbling or no response to name at 9 to 10 months prompts hearing evaluation and more detailed screening.
By 12 months: Most are pulling to stand, cruising along furniture, and saying one or two words with intent. Gestures matter: pointing to request or show is a strong sign of social communication. Red flags include no gestures by 12 months, no response to simple requests, or significant asymmetry in movement.
By 15 to 18 months: Walking emerges for most children, along with expanding vocabulary and pretend play like feeding a doll. Toddlers should bring you objects to share interest and follow simple commands. If a toddler uses no words by 16 months, does not point, or seems unaware of others, we act early.
By 2 years: Two-word phrases start, and toddlers understand far more than they say. They copy lines with crayons, stack blocks, and engage in parallel play. If a child has fewer than 50 words or no two-word combinations by 2, or loses skills they previously had, it is time for a formal evaluation.
By 3 to 4 years: Clearer speech, imagination, turn-taking games, and stories about their day. They jump, draw circles, and dress with some help. If strangers cannot understand more than half of what a three-year-old says, or if the child avoids interaction consistently, we look deeper.
By school age: Attention, learning, and social problem-solving take center stage. Reading readiness, fine motor skills for writing, and the ability to follow multi-step directions are now in focus. Teachers often provide valuable input that complements the pediatric visit.
The difference between screening and evaluation
Screening is a short, broad tool. Evaluation is an in-depth process done by specialists. If a screening raises a flag, your pediatrician explains next steps. Those might include a hearing test, speech-language evaluation, physical or occupational therapy assessments, or a developmental-behavioral pediatrics consult. In Missouri, families can also go through First Steps for children younger than 3, which provides standardized evaluation and early intervention services if a child qualifies. For children older than 3, the local school district provides evaluations and services through special education when needed.
A practical tip: keep a notebook or a simple note on your phone with dates of milestones, new words, and concerns. Specific examples often make the difference between watchful waiting and timely referral. If a child stopped using words after an ear infection, or only speaks at home but not at daycare, those details matter.
What counts as a red flag
Parents ask what should prompt a call rather than waiting for the next well visit. A few patterns consistently warrant earlier contact with your children’s doctor in Springfield Missouri:
- Loss of previously acquired skills, such as words, social smiling, or motor abilities, at any age. No babbling by 9 months, no single words by 16 months, or no two-word phrases by 2 years. Lack of gestures like pointing, waving, or showing by 12 months. Persistent asymmetry in movement, stiffness, or floppiness that makes feeding or positioning difficult. Concerns about hearing or vision, including lack of startle, no response to name, or frequent squinting.
This list is not exhaustive, and it should never replace your instincts. If something feels off, your pediatrician would prefer to hear from you now, not in three months.
Real-world nuances that change decisions
Context matters. A bilingual toddler often splits vocabulary across languages. When we count words, we add them together, not treat them as smaller vocabularies. A preterm infant is assessed using corrected age for milestones through at least 2 years. Frequent ear infections can cloud the picture of a speech delay, pointing us toward a pediatric ear nose throat referral first. Toddlers with eczema and multiple food allergies might be wary eaters, so a pediatric allergy doctor in Springfield Missouri and nutrition counseling can help disentangle allergy avoidance from sensory aversion.
Sometimes a child’s temperament mimics delay. A shy toddler who warms slowly in clinic might not talk during the visit, even though they talk at home. That is why the caregiver questionnaire and home videos can be so helpful. Conversely, a sociable child can mask an attention or learning issue until demands increase in kindergarten. Annual check-ins in adolescent medicine in Springfield MO keep the focus on evolving needs, including mental health, sleep, and school performance.
What happens after a referral
The most common referral after a flagged screen is to speech-language therapy. In my experience, the families who make the fastest gains do three things well. They attend regularly, they practice at home daily in short bursts, and they integrate strategies into routine moments. Turning snack time into a chance to model words, pausing before handing over the cup to invite a request, using parallel talk while playing cars, these small habits compound.
For motor delays, physical and occupational therapy target specific goals like core strength for sitting, pincer grasp, or coordination for stairs. For social-communication differences, parent coaching can transform everyday interactions. Pediatric ADHD evaluation typically waits until school age when demands clarify, but signs can appear earlier. If attention concerns persist across settings and impact function, a pediatric ADHD doctor in Springfield Missouri can guide behavioral strategies and, when appropriate, medication.
Asthma and allergies complicate development less directly, but they can disrupt sleep and energy. A child who coughs at night or misses preschool days may fall behind socially. Coordinated pediatric asthma treatment in Springfield MO and allergy management can stabilize the foundation so developmental therapies stick.
The role of preventive care
Consistent preventive care does more than vaccinate. During child wellness exams in Springfield Missouri, we build a relationship with the family. We learn how your child plays, eats, sleeps, and communicates, and we notice change. Immunizations for kids in Springfield MO remain essential, and not just for disease prevention. A child who is up to date misses fewer days and maintains routines that support learning. For infants, early visits monitor head shape for positional plagiocephaly, screen for postpartum depression in caregivers, and review sleep safety. For school-age children and teens, we look at growth patterns, sports clearance, hearing and vision checks, and risk behaviors. These visits create the cadence that makes developmental screenings seamless rather than stressful.
Families sometimes ask about affordability. Many practices offer affordable pediatric care in Springfield MO through transparent cash rates, payment plans, or partnerships with state programs. If cost is a barrier, tell your pediatrician. There are often more options than you expect.
What a strong local pediatric practice looks like
Look for a Springfield Missouri family pediatric practice that treats screening as a process, not a checkbox. The best pediatricians in Springfield MO combine standardized tools with nuanced clinical judgment. They ask about your priorities and your childcare situation. They coordinate with therapists and schools. They schedule follow-up on a realistic timeline, not just at the next annual visit. When needed, they connect you with Springfield MO children’s hospital doctors for subspecialty care and keep the thread of communication moving.
Families who prefer proximity to the medical hubs might choose a pediatrician near Mercy Hospital Springfield MO or near CoxHealth. Others opt for a smaller neighborhood office that offers same day pediatric appointments in Springfield MO and shorter waiting room times. Either can work. What matters most is fit, access, and trust. If you want virtual options, ask about pediatric telehealth in Springfield Missouri for developmental check-ins and parent-only consultations. If you have a newborn, ask how the practice handles newborn care in Springfield Missouri, including lactation support, jaundice monitoring, and the first hearing screen. If you are parenting an infant, confirm the practice has a pediatrician for infants in Springfield Missouri who is comfortable with feeding difficulties, reflux, and early motor concerns.
A short, practical plan for parents
- Keep regular well visits and complete the developmental questionnaires honestly, even if the answers worry you. Track a few anchor milestones with dates, especially language and motor. If you notice loss of skills, call your pediatrician immediately, not later. Use daily routines for practice: narrate actions, offer choices, pause to invite requests, and model gestures. Follow through on referrals and ask for help coordinating if waitlists appear.
What progress looks like over months, not days
Parents often hope for overnight change. More often, we see measured steps. A toddler who starts with zero words might, after eight weeks of speech therapy and daily modeling, reach five meaningful words and regular pointing. That is real progress. A baby who hated tummy time may, with two weeks of short, frequent sessions and a few positioning tweaks from a therapist, lift their chest and pivot to reach toys. A kindergartner who struggled with transitions can learn to use visual schedules and short movement breaks and suddenly hold it together through circle time. Each gain, however small, reduces frustration and builds confidence.
If progress stalls for a full screening cycle, we widen the lens. That might mean adding a hearing test, rechecking iron stores, screening for sleep apnea in a snoring child, or addressing chronic congestion with a pediatric ear nose throat consultation. Development is a web. Pull on one thread and others often move.
When resilience meets reality
Families in Springfield are resilient. Many juggle shift work, older kids’ sports, and tight budgets. Therapy appointments add to the load. If you feel stretched, tell your pediatrician. We can prioritize a single goal for a month or set up telehealth check-ins to keep momentum. Sometimes the most effective intervention is a 15-minute daily routine that you can sustain, paired with a monthly therapist visit. Affordable pediatric care in Springfield MO often includes creative scheduling, group parent sessions, or sliding fees through community partners.
Teen years bring a different set of developmental tasks. Independence, identity, executive function, and mental health take the stage. Adolescent medicine in Springfield MO focuses on sleep, technology use, mood, and risk behaviors that can derail school and relationships. Screening remains relevant, just targeted differently. We ask about attention, anxiety, substance use, and learning challenges, and we partner with families on a plan that respects privacy while supporting safety.
Faith in the process, and the right next step
If you are reading this because you are worried, take a breath. You do not need all the answers today. You need the next step. That might be scheduling a well visit at a pediatric primary care practice, asking for a developmental screening, or requesting a referral that was discussed but not yet placed. Trusted pediatric doctors in Springfield MO want to partner with you. If you need a fresh start, ask around your network for a pediatrician accepting new patients in Springfield MO who communicates clearly and appreciates your family’s values.
Whether you start near Mercy or Cox, in a large system or a smaller office, prioritize access and rapport. A good children’s doctor in Springfield Missouri will welcome questions, avoid jargon, and give you honest expectations. They will not overpromise. They will check back. When needed, they will bring in pediatric specialists in Springfield Missouri to round out the team.
Developmental screenings are a compass, not a verdict. Used well, they point us toward timely support and away from avoidable struggle. Springfield has the clinicians, the infrastructure, and the community commitment to make early identification the rule, not the exception. If you are ready to act, schedule the appointment. The earlier you start, the more options you have, and the more confident you will feel as your child grows.
Pediatric Functional Medicine
Focusing on the wellness of your child, we look at all factors that contribute to their health. In a world where chronic health conditions are increasing in children, we aim to find the root cause of your child's health concerns. We believe parents know their child(ren) best. We will listen to your concerns and be your partner in care.
Common Conditions we treat:
Abdominal pain
ADHD
Allergies
Alopecia
Asthma
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Behavioral Concerns
Bed Wetting
Chronic/Recurrent Ear Infections
Diarrhea/Constipation
Eczema/Rashes
Emotional Outbursts
Food Allergies/Sensitivities and Related Concerns
Headaches
OCD and Related Concerns
PANS/PANDAS
Tics/Tic Related Disorders
Weight Gain/Weight Loss
417 Integrative Medicine
1335 E Republic Rd D
Springfield, MO 65804
https://www.417integrativemedicine.com/
417-363-3900