Assessment of the slow preschool child.

Most of the serious handicaps of childhood present long before the age of 3 years. In the 3 to 5 year age group the commonest cause for concern is that the child is progessing more slowly than his peers, either in acquisition of language, motor coordination, or in all aspects of development. The purpose of this paper is firstly to review the concept of 'slowness', and then to discuss the paediatrician's contribution to the management of these children. I shall concentrate on slowness in learning to speak, because this is by far the commonest presenting complaint. Evaluation of symptoms and signs associated with gait or other aspects of motor function must always include a careful neurological examination, which is well described in standard texts and will not be discussed here.