The Griffith Mental Development Scales (GMDS) are widely used by paediatricians and psychologists to measure the rate of development of infants and young children from birth to eight years. The GMDS assess a child's strengths and weaknesses in all developmental areas and can be used to determine if a child is in need of early intervention or a treatment program.

Skills assessed by GMDS

• Locomotor: The Locomotor sub-scale assesses gross motor skills, including the ability to balance and to coordinate and control movements.
• Personal-Social: This sub-scale measures proficiency in the activities of daily living, level of independence and interaction with other children.
• Hearing and Language: The assessment of hearing, expressive language and receptive language.
• Eye and Hand Coordination: This sub-scale focuses on fine motor skills, manual dexterity and visual monitoring skills.
• Performance: This assesses the developing ability to reason through tasks including speed of working and precision.
• Practical Reasoning: The Practical Reasoning sub-scale measures the ability of a child (2 to 8 years) to solve practical problems, understand basic maths concepts and understand moral issues.

An assessor must be accredited to complete the Griffith Mental Development Scales evaluation.