Table of Contents
Introduction
- Wash hands
- Introduce self
- Ask Patient’s name and what they like to be called
- Explain examination and obtain consent from parents
- Ask parents if they have any developmental concerns
- Observe child for 30 seconds
Gross motor
- Check parent is happy for you to put the child on a play-mat on the floor
- Lie child on back – see if they can roll
- Put child in a sitting position – look for head control (3 months)
- See if they can sit aided/unaided (6-9 months)
- Look at curvature of spine and sitting reflexes
- Pull to a standing position – see how much support is needed (9-12 months)
- Get them to walk if able (15-18 months) or run (2 years)
- Lastly, place prone – see if child lifts head/chest or crawls (10 months)
Fine motor and vision
- Get child to take a toy and observe
- Transfers (6 months)
- Type of grip (palmar grasp at 6 months; pincer grip at 9-10 months)
- Offer bricks
- 3-cube tower (18 months)
- Builds bridge (3 years)
- Give paper and pen if old enough
- Scribbles (18 months)
- Circular scribbles and lines (2 years)
- Copies circle (3 years)
- Copies cross (4 years)
- Vision – wave toy
- Fixes and follows (3 months)
Hearing and language
- Click fingers or use rattles (see if they turn to sounds)
- Startles to noise (neonate)
- Turns to sounds (6 months)
- Turns to name (12 months)
- Talk to child and ask parents what words/noises the child can say/make
- Babble (6 months)
- ‘Mamma’ and ‘Dadda’ (12 months)
- 2-word phrases (2 years)
- Knows own name and colours (3 years)
- Commands
- One-step command, e.g. ‘take the brick’ (18 months)
- Two-step command, e.g. ‘take the brick and place it in the cup’ (2 years)
Social
- Observe interaction with people/environment
- Smiles (6 weeks)
- Laughs (3 months)
- Stranger anxiety (9 months)
- Plays ‘peek-a-boo’ (9 months)
- Waves goodbye (12 months)
- Ask parents about the child’s diet
- Solids (6 months)
- Fork and spoon (2 years)
To complete
- Thank child and parents
- ‘To complete my examination, I would review growth charts and measure weight, height and head circumference.’
- ‘I would also like to take a full history.’
- Summarise
- If age unknown: estimate developmental age
- If age known: comment if the development is appropriate for age, globally delayed, or asymmetrically delayed
Normal developmental milestones

Common developmental OSCE stations
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Test your knowledge on chromosome abnormalities
Fragile X syndrome
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Klinefelter’s syndrome
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Turner syndrome
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Trisomy X
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Down’s syndrome
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Edwards syndrome
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Patau syndrome
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