Childhood developmental examination: a novel approach to teaching.

Childhood developmental assessment is an essential skill that medical students must attain during their education. The authors describe a new technique which is neither laborious nor time-consuming for both staff and students. Groups of 40 students were taught normal developmental examinations using a novel interactive approach during a lecture. The method proved successful in terms of student evaluation, cost effectiveness of medical teaching time and acceptability to the children used for the demonstration. Audio-visual equipment, available in most teaching centres, was used that was easily and cheaply installed for the purpose of the session.