Schlow Centre Region Library to host developmental, vision screenings

It can never be too early to see how your child is developing. And Schlow Centre Region Library can help with its free developmental screenings and, for the first time, free vision screenings.

This year, the developmental screenings will be held from 9-11:30 a.m. Friday and April 6. The vision screenings will be held from 9- 11:30 a.m. Feb. 23 and April 20. Both screenings are for children ages newborn to 5 years old. No registration is necessary but children will be evaluated on a first come, first serve basis.

“Parents love to have the free developmental screenings available at the library,” said Paula Bannon, head of children’s services at Schlow. “It’s an opportunity for parents to make sure their kid is on the right track and, if not, to get help early.”

Since 2010, Schlow and Centre County Early Intervention have partnered to bring the free developmental screenings to the library. Children are evaluated in five major areas — motor (crawling, rolling, walking, hand-eye coordination), social (attention span, interactions, play), cognitive (thinking, reasoning), language (speech, understanding, pronunciation of words) and adaptive (eating, dressing, toileting).

“The first years of a child’s life are a period of significant growth in all areas of development,” said Sheila Stevenson, coordinator for Centre County Early Intervention. “While children grow and develop at their own rate, some children can experience delays in their development. If a parent has concerns about their child’s development, it should be taken seriously. Parents know their child best. The earlier a child begins receiving support, the better.”

Along with the developmental screenings, Schlow is partnering with Nittany Eye Associates to offer free vision screenings for the first time.

Dr. Marla Moon, a founding partner of Nittany Eye Associates and director of Vision Rehabilitation Center, said the vision screenings will include checking on a child’s eye alignment, any refractive problems, eye tracking skills and visual acuity levels if the child can identify pictures. A very basic eye check will be provided as well.

“Like many other health conditions, the earlier that problems can be identified, the better the prognosis for treatment and rehabilitation,” Moon said. “In addition, vision is important for a child’s overall development, especially since 80 to 90 percent of what a child learns during the first 12 years of their lives comes through their visual system.”

Bannon says offering the visual screenings seemed like a natural fit.

“Schlow is a Family Place Library, which means that we have wonderful resources that families can borrow and we also work to make community resources more accessible to them,” she said. “We take the growth and development of our children very seriously and want to make sure our families have the best possible resources available.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Schlow Centre Region Library to host developmental, vision screenings."