Developmental surveillance and milestone assessment — formative SAQs

SAQ 1 (10 marks)

A mother of an 18-month-old says he is “not talking like his brother did.” ^[1]

1. Define surveillance vs screening in this visit. (3) ^[1]
2. Outline your bedside assessment steps. (4) ^{[1] [2]}
3. When would you use an autism-specific screen and what must you not claim from it? (3) ^[3]

Model answer

Surveillance is continuous concern elicitation, observation and documentation; screening is a validated tool at key ages or on concern. ^[1] Assess caregiver concern, observe joint attention/gesture/words/motor, use evidence-informed milestones, document domains. ^[2] Autism-specific tools such as M-CHAT-R/F risk-stratify with follow-up; they do not alone diagnose. ^[3]