Parents make it their part-time job to worry about their kids. Especially new parents. When your friend shows off about their 10-month-old being able to walk steadily, while your 12-month-old sticks to crawling, you can’t help but wonder if something’s not right with your child’s development.
Children are different and develop at their own pace. However, there are baseline milestones that are important within a certain age range. For example, a 1-year-old who doesn’t crawl, or a 4-year-old who doesn’t yet talk should get a thorough assessment.
Your child needs to have their symptoms recognized early. Read on to understand the basics of identifying developmental delay.
Difference between developmental delay and disability
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there’s a distinct difference between them. Disabilities usually crop up during childhood and persevere long into adulthood. Your child can overcome some parts of these neurological disorders, but the key challenges persist.
With a developmental delay, early intervention can usually aid in reaching developmental milestones. Eventually, your child can accomplish the same things as their peers with no future repercussions.
Cognitive delay
Delays in cognitive function can affect a child’s awareness and learning capabilities. This lowered intellectual functioning becomes apparent after a child starts schooling and has difficulties playing and communicating with other children.
Reasons for this delay can range from brain injuries to chromosomal disorders such as Down Syndrome. Usually, though, it’s hard to find a clear indicator of the reason for this delay.
Speech delay
There are 2 types of speech delays—receptive and expressive. A child with receptive disorders may have a hard time understanding concepts or words. They may have difficulty pointing out shapes, colors, or body parts.
A child with expressive disorders may have trouble with forming complex sentences and have reduced vocabulary.
These delays might be due to physiological issues, such as brain damage or hearing loss. Genetic factors may also play a part.
Motor skills delay
Children’s ability to coordinate to small or large muscle groups may be negatively affected if they haven’t developed proper motor skills. This can be as little as seeming clumsy, or as much as being unable to brush their teeth.
Some delays of this kind can be a result of genetic conditions such as achondroplasia, or structural issues that cause uneven limb lengths.
Social and emotional delays
Children with developmental delays often suffer from social and emotional delays. They may experience difficulty in initiating conversation or understanding social cues. They may have extended tantrums and react stronger than other children to change.
Visit the best pediatric clinic in Schertz
Early intervention can make a world of difference for children experiencing these delays. According to pediatric recommendations, children should undergo comprehensive screening at 9, 18, and 30 months, or whenever a caretaker recognizes a problem.
A Thru Z Pediatrics is a trustworthy pediatric medical center with well-established primary care physicians. Our medical clinic offers holistic childcare treatments, well-child visits, Medicaid services Schertz, and children’s ADHD testing.
Call your nearest location anytime you have any questions or suspect there’s an issue with your child’s developmental progress.
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