Childhood is a period of growth and development and not reaching specific milestones within certain time frames is what’s dubbed as developmental delays in children. Manifesting in both minor and major forms – developmental delays lead to a lack of growth spurts in children. The first three years of a child’s life are formative to their future growth, and developmental delays can translate in the form of falling behind their peers and performing poorly in both social and academic contexts.
Yes! If your child falls behind his peer in terms of social development and fine motor skills, then that’s merely a phase and not a developmental delay. It can be frustrating as a parent to watch your child experience difficulty learning new things, coordinating actions, and interacting with their peers. This is why it’s important to be aware of common developmental problems and how they occur in children.
Chances of your kid developing development delays depend on several risk factors such as:
All the above factors have a cumulative effect on developmental delays in children and contribute to increased chances of delays when overlooked over time. Living healthy, exercising, and taking care of yourself can improve the chances of a healthy delivery and reduce risk factors of manifesting various developmental delays.
A developmental delay is temporary while a developmental disability is permanent. Developmental delays can be treated with the right medications, therapies, education intervention, and early treatment options. Developmental disabilities, on the other hand, cannot be treated and a child may require special education throughout their life. Developmental disabilities can originate due to genetic disorders, overdosing on certain medications, brain injury, and pregnancy complications which is why it’s fundamentally essential to take care of yourself, both emotionally and physically before considering opting for pregnancy or birth.
Development delays range from cognitive, emotional, and fine motor skills and are classified by specific milestones such as giving her first smile, taking the first step, and identifying certain behavioural patterns in children according to their age groups. Children develop at their own pace as they grow but there are specific telltale signs one can watch out for to spot developmental delays and get a general idea of where they are.
Common development delays in children are noted through looking out if your child is able to perform the following things:
Other forms of developmental delays in children include visual development delay, language and speech development delay, gross motor skill development delay, social and emotional developmental delay, and cognitive developmental delay. Let’s take a look at them below.
Blurry vision is the hallmark of development during the first six months for babies. Anything beyond that is a misnomer. If your child has trouble coordinating eye muscle movement in both her eyes, continues experiencing blurry vision after six months, or doesn’t notice her arms after two months of visual development, then it’s time to be concerned.
Common causes of vision development delays in children are:
Treatment solutions for the above vision developmental delays include:
There are several warning signs of vision developmental delays in children. If your child faces any of the following problems, contact a doctor immediately:
Language delay is when the child is not able to deliver words that make proper sense, while speech development delays pronunciation. Language is more connected to comprehension, and speech delays have more to do with the meaning than the sounds. Speech delays are sound-related problems in children. Speech and language delays combine the two and can result in stunted verbal development.
There are various causes of language and speech developmental delay. Hearing loss may often be associated with them which could be the underlying reason why your child may not have been able to pick up or comprehend word meanings in the first place Common causes are:
Common treatment options for speech and language developmental delays involve taking your child to an occupational therapist, social worker, speech-language pathologist, or an audiologist. Here are the following natural treatment options for language and speech developmental delays in children:
If you fear that your child is facing language and speech developmental delay, here are the following signs:
Motor skill developmental delays in children are linked to gross motor skills, fine motor movements, and motions like walking, crawling, picking a spoon or drinking from a sippy cup. When your child experiences motor skill developmental delay, she has difficulty coordinating certain movements, picking up crayons, drawing pictures, walking and running, and similar physical activities that require the brain and hand coordination.
The possible causes of developmental motor delays in children are:
Treatment types range from incorporating long-term exercise plans to regular therapy. The type of treatment your child needs may be described by the doctor. Certain treatment types help with sensory integration dysfunction and in developing gross motor skills through occupational therapy.
If you notice any of the common warning signs or red flags in your child’s motor skills, contact your doctor immediately:
Social and emotional developmental delays affect how the child perceives the world which causes them to react differently than other children when exposed to the same environmental stimuli. These delays can affect the child’s ability to learn, communicate, and interact with other children and adults.
The most common causes of social and emotional developmental delays in children are:
Working with a good occupational, speech, or social developmental delay specialist can help your child. Treatment methods involve speaking with your child, helping them understand social and emotional cues, and supplementing their treatment with certain prescribed medications for dealing with emotional and behavioural problems like ADHD, anxiety, depression, mood swings, and sudden bouts of anger. Letting your child listen to music can also during treatments.
If you notice any of the common warning signs or red flags in your child’s motor skills, contact your doctor immediately:
Cognitive developmental delays interfere with a child’s learning ability and hamper their cognitive development. Difficulty in communication, not being able to interact with others, and problems associated with playing or engaging with others are few of the issues related to cognitive developmental delays.
The most common causes of cognitive developmental delays are:
If you feel something is wrong with your child, then consulting with a doctor and an occupational therapist can help. Usually, doctors will recommend a specialist who can get to the core of the situation. Common treatment methods are:
Common warning signs of cognitive developmental delays in children are:
Learning how to help a child with developmental delays begins with correct diagnosis. Developmental screening and developmental evaluation are the two types of assessments done in developmental delay diagnostics. In-depth assessments are carried out by certified professionals and occupational therapists who assess a child’s range of skills ranging from cognitive, motor, social and emotional, and language and speech. Your doctor may ask your child to examine how he/she speaks, moves, learns and behaves to assess or diagnose signs of developmental delay.
Children with developmental delays often fall behind their peers in classroom settings and paced activities. Your child may have difficulty communication with other children, learning new skills, and thus, go through a hampered learning experience. Developmental delays aren’t permanent, and as the name suggests, they are only delays and last a certain period. With the right form of therapy, treatments, and doctor-prescribed medications, your child’s developmental delay can be greatly diminished. Keep in mind that every child grows at a different pace hence, skill acquisition and growth rates are different in all these areas. The only true way to assess whether something is wrong is by looking out for common developmental milestones and warning signs to ensure whether or not your child is right on track.
You should call your doctor anytime you notice any of the above red flags or common warning signs of developmental delays. If your child is behaving out of the ordinary or not according to what is expected of his age group, then it’s time to consider running a diagnostic test at a hospital or a doctor’s clinic. Problems related to facing difficulty in understanding, being quiet for more than 15 months, no signs of movement or gestures, or a lack of interest in communicating with you and other children all translate to signs of developmental delays and require a doctor’s opinion for further evaluation, screening, and treatment.
Developmental delays can be linked to harmful exposure to toxins before birth and brain injury. To eliminate chances of developmental delay before birth, taking care of yourself and administering a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutritious foods can reduce risk factors.
Speaking to your child, giving them love and attention, and rewarding them with smiles, gestures, and warm emotions can make a difference in significantly reducing the risk of developmental delays. Your child can understand even before birth signs of language and gestures on a subconscious level which is why it’s important to constantly and consistently interact with them and be patient throughout the pregnancy and early parenthood phase.
Developmental delays can be treated and carrying out educational intervention, and early therapies can greatly reduce the risk factor. Child doctors or specialists are well-versed with developmental delays, and even if your child isn’t showing any signs of delays yet, it’s better to get them assessed early on or incorporate activities suggested by doctors to improve the early treatment phase.