Developmental surveillance

Developmental disorders are common across all economic levels and all racial and ethnic groups but many of them are not identified prior to entering school. One of the most important components of the well-child check-up is development surveillance and screening for developmental disorders because there exists evidence nowadays proving that early intervention programs for children at risk and children with established developmental disabilities are effective. Therefore early detection and referral is critical for these children and their families and the Primary Care paediatrician is the most suitable professional for this purpose because of his close contact and possibility of long term follow up. However, many developmental disabilities commonly escape detection in the first years of life despite frequent well-child visits; this may be influenced by many factors such as: the subtle nature of many developmental problems, especially those that are mild delays, lack of time in our practice, lack of standardized developmental tools adapted to our population or need of training in their utilization. We?ll go through current recommendations about developmental surveillance, early developmental disorders detection and correct referral to developmental evaluation and early intervention programs.