Growth and development during infancy.

1. Big picture

Infancy is the period of fastest postnatal growth and neurodevelopment. In the exam, the examiner usually wants you to know three things:

1. How to assess growth: weight, length, head circumference, percentiles, growth velocity.
2. How to assess development: gross motor, fine motor, language/hearing, social-adaptive milestones.
3. How to recognize danger signs: failure to thrive, abnormal head growth, abnormal tone, loss of milestones, delayed milestones, abnormal fontanelle, poor feeding, dehydration, abuse, chronic disease.

Clinically, growth and development are not checked once; they are followed serially. A single low percentile may be constitutional, but falling across percentiles or delayed milestones needs evaluation.

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