How IncluSteps works
IncluSteps helps you notice and support what your child is working on, and coaches you along the way. Here's what it does, how your information is handled, and the research behind it.
It coaches you, not your child
IncluSteps is for grown-ups. Children ages 0–3 don't use the app. You are your child's best teacher, and the app helps you turn everyday moments into chances to grow together.
Your privacy
We never store your child's name, photo, or date of birth. Your child has a random code instead. Everything you enter stays on your device, and you can export or delete it anytime from Settings.
What this is, and what it isn't
IncluSteps is a tracking and coaching tool. It is not a medical device, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for a professional developmental evaluation. The weekly check-in is not a mental-health screening. The strategies are drawn from published research, but the app itself has not been tested in its own study.
If you ever have concerns about your child's development, contact your pediatrician or your state Part C early-intervention program.
The research behind it
Each part of IncluSteps is built on published, peer-reviewed research and federal early-intervention rules. A few of the main sources are below.
The milestones and age ranges
The skills you track come from widely-used developmental guidelines, with wide, normal age ranges. Children reach milestones at very different times.
- Squires & Bricker (2009) — Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3)
- Zubler et al. (2022), Pediatrics — the updated CDC developmental milestones
- Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (2014, updated 2024)
Coaching you, not testing your child
IncluSteps coaches you, the person who knows your child best. Research finds that coaching a caregiver (plan it, try it, then talk about how it went) helps more than simply handing over tips.
- Rush & Shelden (2020) — The Early Childhood Coaching Handbook
- Sone, Lee & Roberts (2021), Journal of Early Intervention — coaching beats tips-only
- Tomchek et al. (2024), Frontiers in Education — what good coaching looks like
Activities built into everyday routines
Every activity fits into things you already do (meals, bath, play, bedtime) and needs no special equipment. Practicing during real daily routines is the approach early-intervention teams use.
- McWilliam (2010, 2005) — routines-based early intervention
- IDEA Part C natural-environments requirement (34 CFR §303.126)
- Jeong et al. (2021), PLoS Medicine — responsive, back-and-forth caregiving has the biggest effect
Babies born early (adjusted age)
If your baby was born early, the app can adjust their age so the milestones are a fair fit. That adjustment continues until age 2, the same way doctors do.
- WHO and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on corrected age for preterm infants
- den Ouden et al. (1991); AAP preterm follow-up framework (2023), Pediatrics
Your plain-language progress report
The report follows the same plan format (the IFSP) your early-intervention team uses, written in everyday language you can share with them.
- IFSP requirements under IDEA Part C (34 CFR §303.344)
- Jung (2012), Topics in Early Childhood Special Education — what makes a strong IFSP
Your privacy
Your child is identified by a random code. We never store a name, photo, or birth date. Everything stays on your device, and you can export or delete it anytime.
- Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), 16 CFR Part 312
- IDEA Part C confidentiality (34 CFR §303.402)
This is a short list. The full reference set is kept in our internal research documentation for early-intervention providers and reviewers.