Why go without complaining
The nervous system of a child in the first year develops faster than in any other period, and that is why it responds best to intervention. A deviation noticeable to a specialist at three months is often removed by a home program; the same deviation per year requires a course of rehabilitation. A parent rarely sees the difference between “just sitting up late” and an emerging motor disorder - this difference is the subject of a preventive examination.
Key inspection points
- the first months - tone, reflexes, symmetry, visual and auditory concentration;
- middle of the first year - support, flips, grip, sitting position;
- end of the first year - getting up, first steps, understanding speech, gestures;
- after one year - gait, coordination, speech, self-care skills;
- preschool age - readiness to learn, attention, fine motor skills.
Who especially needs
- premature and low birth weight babies;
- complicated pregnancy and childbirth, a history of perinatal central nervous system damage;
- children of twins and triplets;
- if the eldest child in the family had developmental delays;
- parents who are worried that “something is wrong,” even if the pediatrician does not see the problem.
