HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Take the CME quiz: Vol. 18 No. 9, September 1997 Rapid Responses: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sturner, R. A. Articles by Howard, B. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sturner, R. A. Articles by Howard, B. J. Related Collections Growth and Development

(Pediatrics in Review. 1997;18:291-301.)
© 1997 American Academy of Pediatrics

Preschool Development 1: Communicative and Motor Aspects

Raymond A. Sturner, MD^*
Barbara J. Howard, MD

^* Asociate Professor of Pediatrics.

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of General Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD. Both Drs Sturner and Howard are Codirectors of The Center for Promotion of Child Development Through Primary Care, Millersville, MD, and serve on the pediatric staff of the Patuxant Medical Group in Annapolis, MD. Dr Sturner is the author of the START test and owns the patent on the Communication Screening System. Dr Howard is a contest consultant for edutainment videotapes for children and parents.

	IMPORTANT POINTS

 

1. It currently is recommended that the development of children be monitored during health supervision visits by the process of developmental surveillance.
   
2. Language abilities develop rapidly during the preschool years, are important indicators of developmental progress, and are critical to further learning and behavioral development.
   
3. Developmental monitoring not only should be aimed at identifying children who have low function, but at directing the focus of anticipatory guidance to help promote normal development.
   
4. Direct interviewing of the preschool child, such as through the "drawing interview," can provide information about the child's developmental and emotional status, establish rapport, and serve as a model for parents.
   
5. When reviewing the child's development, the parent's reaction to the child's course of development may be as important as the child's developmental status.
   

	Introduction

 
Preschool children are very special to pediatricians. We have the opportunity to observe the baby become a person with his or her own dynamic personality, complex abilities, and enlarging relationships. However, pediatricians generally only schedule annual visits with healthy preschool-aged patients to monitor health and development and to provide guidance to parents. Given the developmental richness of children from 2 to 5 years of age and the enormous transformations occurring from one birthday to the next, the best way for such health supervision visits to be of maximal use in monitoring development is if the parent, who knows the child intimately, provides relevant information. The pediatrician then can address parental concerns and elicit information likely to reveal the strengths and weaknesses that should be addressed. In this article, we will provide information about normal developmental milestones of pre-schoolers organized to facilitate developmental surveillance during health supervision visits.

The rationale for developmental monitoring by child health clinicians appears to be shifting with advances in research and technology as well as new public awareness and support. Traditionally, . . . [Full Text of this Article]