Lifesteps specialists help identify possible developmental problems children might have with Child Check.

In a 15-minute session with a child, a specialist can spot developmental difficulties in time to make a difference.

The Child Check program offered by Lifesteps pinpoints problems and allays parent worries, said Autumn Timmons, director of family services at Lifesteps who also oversees the program.

Child Check is a free screening for children from infants to 5 years old designed to evaluate a child's development in talking, hearing, thinking and playing.

The screening is offered by Lifesteps, an independent, non-profit human services agency, and its purpose is to identify developmental problems early.

“The Child Check program covers all of Butler County through locations at preschools, libraries kindergarten classes, and private homes,” Timmons said. “We get word-of-mouth referrals, pediatricians refer to us.”

Lifesteps is even contacted by teachers who have concerns about students in their classrooms.

“Lifesteps employees have special training. They all have to have an associate degree, and we do our own training for the tools they are using out in the field,” Timmons said.

As for the screening itself, it looks like fun.

“It looks like play,” she said. “There's a ball, blocks, everything is play to the child. We get down on the floor with them. We adapt to the child.”

The 15-to-20-minute session can give Lifesteps employees insight into the child's cognitive, speech/language, motor skills and behavioral development.

“We do offer, if the parents want, an autism screening,” Timmons said.

Should a developmental issue be found, Lifesteps will discuss the results with the child's parents.

With the Child Check program, children who are eligible will receive early intervention services available from the county and coordinated by the Center for Community Resources during the child's first five years.

Timmons said early intervention can make children much more successful when they do start school.“We are like the first responders on the scene for parents. We are not seeing the child with the same eyes,” she said.Alexis Dumbaugh of Butler had her 3-year-old daughter tested through Child Check screening.“They came to our house because I was seeing, I guess, something different,” Dumbaugh said. “Developmentally, there were some things that needed to be checked.”Dumbaugh said her daughter had food aversions and found it hard to express herself through language.Today, Dumbaugh's daughter is 10 years old and a fourth-grade student attending school with an Individual Education Plan through the Butler Area School District.“She does very well, Dumbaugh said. “She has modified work at times. The teachers have been great. They work well with me.”The screening allows children to get the assistance they need.“It was a long process but if I hadn't started earlier, it would have taken longer,” Dumbaugh said.That's the benefit of Child Check screening said Timmons. “We are trying to find these kids who might benefit from a future program,” she said.The screening program can be just as beneficial to the child's parents, Dumbaugh said.“Mainly it educates the parents so they better understand what the child needs,” she said.Timmons said if a child's developmental or behavioral issues aren't identified and addressed this could result in a multitude of problems affecting the child, parents and community as a whole.

Autumn Timmons, left, director of family services at Lifesteps, oversees the Child Check progam. Alexis Dumbaugh of Butler had her daughter screened when she was 3 years old and says it has helped her.