Neurodevelopmental assessment.

• For their correct assessment, it is necessary to know the expected milestones according to age.

• Traditionally in pediatrics, they have been learned taking into account the age at which the average population acquires them, instead of knowing their statistical distribution over time or developmental window (age at which it is reached by the 10th percentile, the 50th percentile, and the 90th percentile).

• It is fully demonstrated that the use of screening tests It is much more precise in clinical assessment, since it allows for a better evaluation than applying a list of "normal milestones."

Screening tests, however, only serve to know the status of development at a specific point in time, and to differentiate neurotypical children from those who present warning signs.

When we have identified a child with neurodevelopmental problems, it is necessary to measure through a development scale, the different domains and global development, and compare it with a standardized population. Developmental scales usually allow the calculation of a «developmental or equivalent age«.

With a developmental age, we will be able to calculate the developmental quotient. They can be classified into mild delay (DQ 70-100), moderate (DQ 50-70), and severe (DQ less than 50).

Some developmental scales even provide a standardized score with the statistical position of the child relative to the normal cohort (z or T score), allowing us to know the statistical deviation and therefore the severity of the problem.

However, an isolated measurement in time only allows us to know the static situation. When we obtain several successive measurements, we can infer a developmental trajectory, which is a very powerful tool when it comes to being able to infer a forecast. It is especially important to keep evolutionary records to be able to diagnose early Developmental regression.