A very important area of a child’s health is their neurodevelopment. That is why every time deviations from his normal psycho-spiritual and motor development are observed, control is necessary.
Among the most useful and at the same time valid official methods of measuring child development is that of Ruth Griffiths.
What is the Griffith Neurodevelopmental Method?
This is a scale that measures the growth rate of the child, from birth to the age of 8 years. The assessment is done with the help of special equipment in the form of toys. The child ‘plays’ during the examination with the specific toys while at the same time developing some activities indicated by the examiner.
The Griffith scale includes sub-scales, for which the child is checked and scored through a series of tests.
From birth to 2 years of age, they are checked for:
- Gross Mobility – e.g. if a child at the age of 13 months cannot walk, it should be checked
- Personality and Sociability – e.g. a child who at 14 months does not follow simple commands such as ‘give me the glass’, it is necessary to be examined
- Hearing and Speech – eg an infant should react to auditory stimuli, such as the ringing of a bell, otherwise a check is needed.
- Optomotor Coordination (ie how the eye is coordinated with the hand) – for example, can a baby from 9 months onwards skillfully use his index finger and thumb to grasp small objects?
- The Performance and Execution (of the various tests) – e.g. at the age of 5 months, if we give a paper to the baby, we expect him to crumple or tear it.
After the child reaches the age of two, it is added: - Practical Logic (i.e. the logical processing of information) – eg a child over the age of three should be able to compare two brick towers and say which is taller. Otherwise, the doctor should check it.
What are the indications for a child to undergo an examination with the Griffith method?
A parent’s or GP’s observation that the child – despite otherwise not appearing to have any medical problems or having been checked for medical problems and no reason found – is showing a delay in growth is a clue.
In particular, this may concern either a universal delay in mental or intellectual development or basic motor functions, or a delay in a specific area. For example, there may be an isolated speech delay but this does not necessarily mean that there is also a hearing delay.
But when a delay is found in one area, we should look at the child’s development as a whole. That’s exactly where the Griffith method comes in.
Which children should definitely undergo the Griffith Neurodevelopmental Tests?
However, there are also specific populations of children who will absolutely have to undergo this examination.
Children born at less than 30 weeks’ gestation should be routinely monitored for growth. Specifically, preemies should be examined at three and five years of age.
In addition, children who do not speak at the age of two or two and a half are entitled to a Griffith.
Also, children with chronic diseases that developed at an early age, such as those with very serious cardiac problems. Here we mean cases of children who needed heart surgery at a young age combined with long-term hospitalizations.
Another category is children with nephrological problems and chronic renal failure.
Finally, children who suffered either trauma or a very serious infection that can affect the central nervous system, such as meningitis or encephalitis (or less commonly septicemia), which required intensive treatment, intubation and respiratory support at an early age. Although these children may make a full recovery, there is a possibility that the shock to their health was such that they experienced some retardation in their development.
