Article Sections

Introduction

Pediatric developmental milestones are specific skills that are achieved by approximately 75% of children at a given age range.  These milestones provide a framework for assessing a child's progression across various domains.  Therefore, developmental surveillance and parent education are essential components of the preventive health care visit.

Developmental domains

The major developmental domains include:

  • Gross motor skills:  involve large muscle groups in the extremities and torso.  These skills allow children to control their body posture, movement, and coordination and are essential for tasks like sitting, crawling, walking, and running.
  • Fine motor skills:  involve small muscle groups in the hands and fingers.  These skills are essential for grasping and manipulating objects (eg, writing tools).  In addition, these skills are involved in hand-eye coordination.

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