As much as they’re a joy to bring up, children also come with their unique challenges. Foremost among these is well-being. It’s impossible to prevent your child from ever falling ill. After all, fevers, colds, and coughs are part and parcel of growing up. But what if your child’s health concerns are above and beyond that? One significant concern concern is developmental delays, which are common among children. While most outgrow these challenges organically over time, they also need to be addressed seriously in some cases.
‘When a child doesn’t meet developmental milestones around the same time as his or her peers, it is considered that they have a developmental delay,’ says pediatrician Dr Varadarajan Chari. ‘Developmental delays typically include speech, cognitive, social, or motor delays. If a child has two or more areas of delayed development, it is typically called Global Developmental Delay and may require more intensive management by the parents and doctors.’ Developmental delays can occur in many forms, but these are some of the basic kinds you should watch out for in your child.
Motor Delays
Motor skills are one of the first indications of developmental delays. Has your child lifted their head by the age of 3 or 4 months? Or started walking well before 18 months? ‘Kids aren’t robots, and it’s safe to say that each one progresses at their own pace,’ says Dr Varadarajan. ‘However, there are some indicators that your child is experiencing developmental delay. For instance, if they’re unable to sit up without support by their first birthday, it might be a cause for concern. They may also not be able to hold a toy or a rattle, because their limbs are loose. You may observe that their movement is either limited or stiff. This doesn’t mean that something is seriously wrong to the point of being irreversible, but you should ideally get your child checked up. These can also be signs of underlying neurological or orthopedic issues that require expert intervention.’
Cognitive Delays
‘Cognitive delays are much more complex to identify than the others because a child’s intellect is difficult to quantify,’ says Dr Varadarajan. ‘Comprehension, awareness, and learning are the three main areas that are affected by cognitive delays. A child may be able to speak and hear, but cognition is very different. It can impact a toddler’s formative years in play school, affect their problem-solving skills, cause difficulties in understanding what’s going on around them, and in remembering things.’ It is difficult to say what causes cognitive delays, though brain injuries, illnesses or genetic disorders are considered common causes.
Social Delays
Although social delays are often confused with cognitive delays, the two are quite different. Says Dr Varadarajan, ‘The inability to communicate with others appropriately (both verbal and non-verbal), signs of aggression, lack of being able to express themselves, anxiety, and failure to build relationships or get along with people are all characteristics of social delays. Such children might be able to comprehend and learn quite well, but they cannot function normally in a social scenario.’
Speech And Language Delays
Speech delays can rear their head in many unpleasant ways. Dr Varadarajan says, ‘Your child may resort to sign language instead of talking, or produce sounds while kids his age are forming words and sentences easily. Sometimes they may not respond to cues or verbal requests, and can’t use oral language to communicate well. Other times, their speech may be slurred and lack clarity. It is a mix of what your child can hear, understand, what they can say, and how they can say it.’
Causes Of Developmental Delays
No one knows why developmental delays occur in children or can pinpoint the exact causes. However, there are some risk factors which exacerbate the chances. These include exposure to toxins (lead or mercury) and other harmful substances during pregnancy, premature birth, infections during pregnancy, trauma to the brain, not enough oxygen, nutrition deprivation, or even genetics. There’s no surefire way to ensure your child doesn’t have developmental delays, but most healthcare providers would advice you to consider the following factors during pregnancy and childbirth to reduce the risks.
Developmental Delay Vs Disorders
Developmental delays are different from disorders such as autism, Down Syndrome, and Aspergers Syndrome. Sometimes though, a developmental delay is indicative of a deeper disorder such as one of these. Although there are prenatal tests to determine these, you should probably visit an expert and run tests on your child to rule out the possibility of any disorders.
Resolving Developmental Delays
Psychologist Dr Manjula MK shares some pointers on resolving your child’s developmental delays. Of course, you must always consult a pediatrician or certified healthcare provider before undertaking any course of treatment.
1. The first and major resolution is by screening and assessing, for early intervention. The sooner you are able to make a diagnosis, the sooner you and your child can engage support services. This way, you can get back on track with his or her developmental milestones. With some effort and care, most developmental delays do get resolved over time. Make sure you always visit a licensed therapist to seek your course of action.
2. For children who have motor-related issues, physical and occupational therapy is very important. This varies depending on the individual case, but can typically include balance and coordination activities, strength training, water-based therapy, and adaptive play that involves touch and feel.
3. Visit a speech therapist for oral motor training, which involves training the muscles needed via both speech and non-speech exercises. A speech therapist will also use phonetics, articulation, and sounds to help your child progress if they have speech development delays.
4. Limit screen time and encourage reading for cognitive development. You may also need a special educator initially to help your child in their academic journey. Also, children with cognitive delays don’t pick up basic life skills automatically – it has to be explicitly taught to them. Use visual tools wherever possible to make things clear to them.
5. Create opportunities to communicate and talk with people from all walks of life, both peers and adults. Try engaging them in storytelling sessions and organise play dates with other children under supervision to observe their progress.
6. As a parent, you should opt for parent-child interaction therapy (PTIT). This programme will help you understand your child’s needs and behaviours and improve your communication and relationship with them.
7. Following a routine every day is very important to aid kids in their journey. Maintain a schedule and do not spring up the unexpected.