The Developmental Assessment Clinic (DAC) provides interdisciplinary screening for infants who have been discharged from the NICU and meet the criteria for followup, and for infants referred by mid-Michigan physicians.

Criteria for followup in DAC include:

• Very low birth weight (less than or equal to 1500 grams)
• Ventilator (greater than 7 days)
• Asphyxia
• Seizures
• Intraventricular hemorrhage
• Microcephaly
• Sepsis or documented infection
• Persistent hypoglycemia
• Poor uterine growth
• Bilirubin (greater than or equal to 20 or need of exchange transfusion)
• Major congenital defect
• Developmental delays

A visit to the clinic involves the child and parent(s) interacting with professionals from the following disciplines: neonatology, psychology, audiology, nursing and physical or occupational therapy. The DAC is not a treatment center. Emphasis is on screening and detecting physical and psychological delay. All results are reported to parents and the primary care physician. When a problem is defined, the infant or child is referred to community services for intervention/treatment.

The DAC attempts to follow NICU graduates through the first three years of life. They are seen at 6 months, 15 months, 2 years and 3 years of age. Data collected by the DAC supports other research findings that approximately 88-92% of referred risk infants will achieve normal growth and developmental.