From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves. Track your child’s development and act early if you see a concern.
Sathish Chandra Segar, MSc, OT — Clinical Director, QISH, Doha provides answers to commonly asked questions...
What is developmental delay?
When young children are slower to develop physical, emotional, social and communication skills than expected is called developmental delay.
Developmental delay can show up in the way children move, communicate, think and learn or behave with others, when more than one of these areas is affected, it might be called global developmental delay.
Developmental delays might be short term or it might be the first sign of a long term problem. Long term developmental delays are also called developmental disabilities. Examples include cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.
What causes developmental delay?
There is no one cause of developmental delay. Children exhibit developmental issues for a variety of reasons, including:
- Genetics (down syndrome)
- Mother engaging in poor prenatal practices
- Head trauma
- Low birth weight - less than 2.5kg
- Premature birth
- Lack of proper enough movement (tummy or floor time) in early childhood. Example: Prolonged use of strollers, cradles may restrict child's movement.
Apart from the above, development can also be affected if babies don’t have warm, responsive and reliable relationships with those around them.
Can the children live with developmental delay?
Like other children, children with developmental delay keep learning. But longer time to develop new skills and they might learn in slightly different ways from other children. For example, most children can learn skills quickly, but children with developmental delay might need to be shown skills in smaller, simple steps. They might also need more time and opportunities to practice their skills.
Worried about developmental delay? What to do?
If you are concerned about your child’s development, trust your instincts and talk to your pediatrician who can diagnose developmental delay after assessing your child and can refer you to other health professionals (usually an occupational therapist) who can help your child through exercises and activities.
Why should I seek therapy for my child who has developmental delay?
Diagnosis alone is not a solution. It simple opens the door to getting the help that is needed by arming all involved with the relevant information.
What if left untreated?
If left untreated, the child with developmental delay may have difficulties with, following instructions within the home or school environment, learning to talk, speech intelligibility and clarity, managing a full school day due to poor strength and endurance, self-esteem and confidence when they realise their skills do not match their peers, etc.
