About The Campaign

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), in collaboration with a number of national partners, launched a public awareness campaign called “Learn the Signs. Act Early.”   The campaign aims to educate parents about childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders, and encourages developmental screening and intervention. 

"Learn the Signs. Act Early." builds on familiar experiences of parents, such as monitoring their children’s physical growth, and expands to social and emotional milestones such as how children speak, learn, act, and play.  Just as taking a first step is a developmental milestone, so is smiling, pointing and enjoying social play. While every child is different and develops at his or her own pace, there are still milestones that each child should reach within a certain range of time.  The early identification of developmental concerns allows parents to seek intervention during the crucial period of early development. 

 

Key Objectives

• Educate parents about key developmental milestones.
• Increase health care and childcare provider awareness of the importance of early intervention in diagnosing and treating developmental disorders such as autism.
• Increase parent-provider dialogue on the topic of child development and developmental disorders.
• Increase early action on childhood development disorders.  Specifically, seek to increase screenings and early intervention among children with potential developmental disorders.

 

Our Partners

CDC would like to thank the following national partners for their involvement and contributions in the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign since it began in 2004:

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
  AAP provides information on child health, guidelines concerning pediatric issues, resources, and tools.
  
  
• Autism Speaks
  Autism Speaks is dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder.
  
  
• Autism Society of America (ASA)
  ASA provides free information and referral services for parents, an interactive website, educational and scientific conferences, and legislative advocacy for services and funding for research.
  
  
• First Signs
  First Signs is dedicated to educating parents and professionals about early identification and intervention for children at risk for developmental delays and disorders, including autism.
  
  
• Organization for Autism Research (OAR)
  OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions.
  
  

We would also like to thank the many local and regional grassroots partners – from health care professionals to child care providers to parents – who continue to dedicate their time and resources to help educate people about the importance of monitoring developmental milestones in children. 

"Learn the Signs. Act Early."
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