Lynbrook dentist creates app to monitor child development

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A new app developed by Lynbrook-based dentist Dr. Eli Adler allows parents to monitor their child’s development and aims to help healthcare professionals diagnose autism and other disorders at an early age.
The free app, Childstones, was launched on Aug. 17 and enables parents to provide a documented history of their child’s development through videos of their developmental milestones. “Just dealing with my own children and family members and other patients, I came to realize that there’s a great gap or missing history,” said Adler, who runs his practice at 243 Broadway in Lynbrook.
Adler said he hopes the app will help solve common problems such as children being misdiagnosed or treated too late. He added that these issues arise because many parents are unable to offer a history of their child’s development.
There are about 50 different development markers children hit between birth and age 5, Adler said, and the app will help parents determine if their children are reaching those milestones on time. Once parents or caregivers download Childstones and enter their child’s birthday, they will receive prompts via email or push notifications of which videos to take.
The videos include children walking, rolling over, hopping across the room, playing with blocks, drawing shapes, interacting with other children and more. The milestones are based on a checklist created by the Academy of American Physicians, and parents are requested to take five or six videos per year, which can be shared with physicians.

Before launching the app in August, Adler met with several developmental pediatricians to gather feedback and better understand the lack of progress in diagnosing children early. He then met with developers to learn how to launch it.
Since it has only been about a month since the app became available, Adler said he hasn’t been able to gather a lot of user feedback yet, or determine how many people are using the app, but he has a team using social media to spread awareness. In addition, a feature on the app is also in the works for “NewsWatch,” a 30-minute technology review show that airs on AMC.
“If they can catch these issues earlier and get a diagnosis earlier, the children will have more of a chance to develop properly,” Adler said.
To learn more about the app or download, visit Childstones.org.