Developmental delay: Need of screening tools for primary care providers

India is committed to reducing childhood mortality and morbidity. This requires advocacy and action (among all stakeholders), focused on locally relevant issues.[1] Developmental delay, “the condition in which a child is not developing and/or achieving skills according to the expected time frame,” is of concern. The barrier to screening for developmental delay is the lack of time in the current practice (82%). Beside the duration of the tests, other reasons for limited use include unfamiliarity, difficulty with their administration, obtaining cooperation of children in a short time, lack of validation in a local setting or language/culture, problems with parental ability to perform self-administered tests and the cost of purchasing some tests.