{"h1":"Should my child have a CDI assessment?","faq":[{"a":"The CDI is typically used between about 8 and 30 months, with one form for younger babies focusing on words and gestures and another for toddlers covering words and sentences. A clinician can advise the right form for your child's age.","q":"At what age is a CDI used?"},{"a":"No. The CDI is completed by you, the parent, based on what you already observe at home. There is no testing pressure on your child and no pass-or-fail — it simply captures the words and gestures your child uses with you.","q":"Does my child have to do a test for a CDI?"},{"a":"No. The CDI is one helpful snapshot of early communication. Any diagnosis or a clinical AbilityScore® is formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under a qualified clinician who combines the CDI with other observations.","q":"Is the CDI a diagnosis?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-cdi-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Should My Child Have a CDI Assessment?","entity":{"key":"cdi","kind":"instrument","name":"MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories","slug":"cdi"},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Assessment","value":"assessment"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Measure","value":"measure"},{"kind":"route","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"assessments","label":"Assessments"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-macarthur-bates-communicative-development-inventories-cdi-and-what-does-it-assess","title":"What is the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI)?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-is-the-cdi-indicated-and-what-are-its-strengths-and-limits-in-early-childhood","title":"When the CDI Is Indicated: Strengths and Limits in Early Childhood"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-dayc-2-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Should my child have a DAYC-2 assessment, and what does it involve?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-adi-r-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Should My Child Have an ADI-R Assessment?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-cdi-compare-with-the-abilityscore-developmental-assessment","title":"How does the CDI compare with the AbilityScore developmental assessment?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"at-what-age-is-the-cdi-developmental-assessment-used-for-a-child","title":"At What Age Is the CDI Used for a Child?"}],"summary":"The MacArthur–Bates CDI is a parent-completed checklist of the words, gestures and early sentences your child understands and uses, usually for ages 8–30 months. It is gentle, non-invasive and based on what you see at home, taking 20–40 minutes. Whether your child should have one depends on your concerns and age — a Pinnacle clinician can confirm if it's the right fit and combines it with a clinician-administered assessment, never a label.","answer_md":"*Wondering whether a CDI could help you understand your little one's words and gestures? Here's exactly what it is and when it helps.*\n\n## In short\nThe [MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI)](/cdi) is a parent-completed checklist that captures how your young child understands and uses words, gestures and early sentences — usually between about 8 and 30 months. It's gentle, non-invasive and based entirely on what *you* already see at home, so there's no testing pressure on your child. Whether your child *should* have one depends on your concerns and age, and a Pinnacle clinician can confirm if it's the right fit.\n\n## What a CDI involves\nThere are no needles, no scary rooms and no pass-or-fail for your child. Instead:\n\n- **You're the expert.** You tick off the words your child understands and says, and the gestures they use — pointing, waving, pretend play — from a structured list.\n- **It fits your child's age.** One form focuses on *Words & Gestures* for younger babies and toddlers; another covers *Words & Sentences* as language grows.\n- **It takes 20–40 minutes** and can be revisited over time to show how vocabulary is expanding.\n- **It's a snapshot, not a label.** It gives the clinician a rich picture of your child's communication to combine with other observations.\n\nBecause it draws on everyday moments rather than a one-off test, the CDI often captures words your child uses with you that they might not show a stranger.\n\n## When it helps — and when to ask\nA CDI is most useful if you've noticed your child is slower to babble, say first words, or combine words, or if you simply want a clear baseline. It is one piece of a fuller developmental check, not a diagnosis on its own. If your child has lost words they once had, isn't responding to their name, or you have any worry, bring it to a clinician promptly rather than waiting.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nA clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under the care of a qualified clinician — never from a form or an online figure. Our clinicians use parent-report tools like the CDI alongside a clinician-administered structured assessment to understand your child's whole communication picture, then turn it into practical [speech therapy](/speech-therapy) you can use at home. Backed by 2.5 billion+ data points and 25 million+ therapy sessions across 70+ centres, we make small gains visible. You can read how our measure works here: [what the AbilityScore is and how it's calculated](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated).\n\n## Trusted sources\nASHA guidance on early language assessment and parent-report measures; CDC and HealthyChildren (AAP) milestones for early communication and vocabulary; WHO frameworks for developmental language difficulties.\n\n**Next step —** Not sure if a CDI is right for your child? [Book an assessment](/enroll) with a Pinnacle clinician and get a clear, reassuring plan.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-my-child-have-a-cdi-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-my-child-have-a-cdi-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"assessments","label":"Assessments"}],"meta_title":"CDI Assessment for Children: What It Involves","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Keep a simple running list on your phone of every word your child understands and says — it makes a CDI quick to complete and shows you real progress over weeks. Narrate daily routines (\"cup… water… drink\") so your child hears words tied to what they see.","published_at":"2026-06-10T14:12:00.219358+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-macarthur-bates-communicative-development-inventories-cdi-and-what-does-it-assess","title":"What is the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI)?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"at-what-age-is-the-cdi-developmental-assessment-used-for-a-child","title":"At What Age Is the CDI Used for a Child?","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Understand the subject","total":2},{"key":"assess","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"when-is-the-cdi-indicated-and-what-are-its-strengths-and-limits-in-early-childhood","title":"When the CDI Is Indicated: Strengths and Limits in Early Childhood","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-cdi-compare-with-the-abilityscore-developmental-assessment","title":"How does the CDI compare with the AbilityScore developmental assessment?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-dayc-2-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Should my child have a DAYC-2 assessment, and what does it involve?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-adi-r-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Should My Child Have an ADI-R Assessment?","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Understand assessment","total":4}],"what_to_watch":"Watch whether your child's word list grows over a few months: new words understood and said, more gestures like pointing and waving, and first word combinations. If your child loses words they once used, doesn't respond to their name, or progress stalls, ask a clinician sooner rather than later.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/","label":"ASHA: early speech and language development"},{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/child-development","label":"CDC: developmental milestones"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/default.aspx","label":"HealthyChildren (AAP): toddler communication"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T14:12:00.219358+00:00","meta_description":"The MacArthur–Bates CDI is a gentle parent-report checklist of your child's words and gestures (ages 8–30 months). See what it involves and when it helps.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}