Office Evaluation of the Child With Developmental Delay

Developmental delays are a common problem in child health and a frequent reason for referral to a pediatric subspecialist. The office evaluation of the young delayed child has a number of objectives including primarily precisely categorizing the delay subtype together with rationally selecting investigations for determining a possible underlying etiology. Counseling the affected family regarding the diagnosis and its prognosis, identifying possible coexisting conditions that merit interventions, and ensuring appropriate rehabilitation service provision are also important objectives of this office assessment. An outline of the key features of the relevant history and physical examination together with guidelines regarding investigations are provided to best meet all these objectives within existing time and practice constraints.

Keywords: evaluation, developmental delay, early childhood