The use of the Denver Developmental Screening Test in infant welfare clinics

The results of a single Denver Developmental Screening Test performed at the age of nine months on 823 infants attending maternal and child health centres were compared with the developmental information recorded by public health nurses during their routine well-baby care of these same infants. The single Denver test detected a significantly greater number of infants with developmental delay than did the routine observations, and the nurses tended to under-use the available resources for developmental assessment. Suggestions are made for more effective use of maternal and child health centres in the primary recognition of developmental delay.

Heidbrink Award--The evolution of ambulatory anesthesiology in dentistry

Images

Routine analysis of dermatoglyphics and palmar creases in children with developmental disorders

A dermatoglyphic and palmar crease analysis was carried out in 100 children aged six months to five years with psychomotor retardation (excluding Down's syndrome). When compared with 121 of the parents and a random group of 168 school-children, certain unusual features were found to be twice as common in the retarded children, demonstrating that these features may indicate an 'at risk' infant if found during routine examination of the newborn.