The move has generally been portrayed in the media as a positive adjustment, with claims that it provides clearer benchmarks and can help identify developmental delays early.

However, the update essentially moves the milestones later and later – following a similar trend in academic standards across the nation.

Is this something to be celebrated, or is it one more example of lowering standards?

The supposed reasoning behind the update is that the earlier milestones used only 50th percentile data, which means that only half of the children were expected to reach them at a specific age.

The updated checklist moves milestones back so that 75 percent of children should reach them at a given age. One news report claims it's necessary for "eliminating unnecessary confusion and alarm while ensuring children who need additional evaluation and resources are properly identified."

What the article doesn't highlight, however, is that the changes effectively move developmental milestones to older ages.

An article from the American Academy of Pediatrics details the changes. In short, one-third of the original milestones were moved to different ages, and of those moved, just over two-thirds were moved to an older age.

In other words, the CDC is shifting developmental goalposts later and later for infants and young children.