Developmental Delay

WHAT IS DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY?

Parents are sometimes concerned that their child is reaching certain developmental milestones more slowly than other children. Whilst it is normal for children to develop at different rates (for example, some children may walk as young as 11 months, while others may not walk until they are 15 months old) some children can sometimes have abnormal delays in development. These may affect their motor skills, speech and language skills or their social skills.

If a child has delays in all areas of development then they may be said to have a Global Developmental Delay.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY?

Developmental Delay has a variety of possible causes. Delays may be due to how the child’s brain was formed whilst in the womb. Other possible causes include premature birth, genetic and heredity disorders, and infections.

Some children may have delays in a particular area, such as walking while the rest of their skills may continue developing on or ahead of schedule. This can be because the child is using its mental resources to learn a particular skill such as speaking and are avoiding learning other skills.

MOTOR DELAY

Motor delay affects a child's ability to use their muscles. Gross motor delays affect the large muscles such as those that control the arms and legs. Fine motor delays affect the smaller muscles, principally those of the hands. Included in this category are visual motor delays which can affect the child's ability to co-ordinate visual tracking with fine motor skills.

In younger children some of the signs of a motor delay include:

• Not being able to bring their hands together by 4 months;
• Not rolling over by 6 months;
• Having head lag when pulled to a sitting position after 6 months;
• Not sitting by themselves without support by 8 months;
• Not crawling by 12 months;
• Not walking by 15 months;

In older children some of the signs of a motor delay include:

• Not being able to use a spoon or fork;
• Not being able to tie their shoes;
• Not being able to button their clothes;
• Not being able to write their name;
• Having poor handwriting;
• Not being able to ride a tricycle or bicycle;
• Being clumsy;
• Not walking correctly.

A motor delay may be a symptom of a larger disability such as Spina Bifida or Autism or it could just be that the child requires physiotherapy because they have weak muscles.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DELAYS

There are several possible causes for speech and language delays. These include problems with

• Hearing;
• The central nervous system or brain;
• The larynx, throat, mouth or nose ;
• Understanding the meaning of sentences;
• Expressing ideas in words and sentences;
• Parents and other adults not communicating with the child.

Some signs of a speech and language delay include:

• Not being able to imitate speech sounds by 3-6 months;
• Not making isolated sounds with vowels and consonants (monosyllabic babbling e.g. ba, da, ga, goo, etc) by 4-8 months;
• Not repeating vowels and consonants (polysyllabic babbling e.g. babababa, lalalalala, etc) by 5-9 months;
• Not understanding individual words (e.g. mummy, daddy, no) by 6-10 months;
• Not speaking the first word (other than mama/dada) 9-14 months;
• Not being able to point to an object he/she wants by 10-15 months;
• Not using two word combinations or sentences (e.g. 'Want milk', 'More juice'), by 18-22 months.

CAN DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY BE TREATED?

Developmental Delays should be diagnosed and dealt with as early as possible, as children's brains can change particularly easily and can therefore respond to training that will help them learn the skills that are lacking.

When a developmental disorder is diagnosed the normal procedure is for multidisciplinary teams to work with the parents and child to develop a therapy plan which could include Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy. There are also home-based programmes for preschool children. It is important for parents to be involved in the therapy and to receive advice on how to do so.

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Please note that every care is taken to ensure that the information included on this webpage is accurate. However, should you discover any information which you believe to be inaccurate please Contact Us as soon as possible.

Although the information we have provided here is meant to be helpful to you, Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy or reliance placed upon it. If you have any concerns about your child, you should seek professional educational or healthcare advice as soon as possible.