Developmental delay in its simplest form is a term used to describe a delay in the development of the skills of a child i.e. they have not got the skills expected for a child at their age.
Perhaps the most effective place to begin is with development itself, and what factors might influence it. ‘Development’ can describe a child’s growth, maturation and progress in the development of skills in a large number of different areas over time, for example:
A child can be described as ‘developmentally delayed’ once he or she is not progressing as expected in one or more of those areas. A chidl may be delayed in all of the areas described: this is known as ‘global development delay’.
Children learn in sequences, where one step builds upon another until a developmental milestone is achieved. For example: rolling over/sitting up/walking.
The rate at which children move through these steps is very variable, and the speed of this development can be attributed to several factors, like the child’s genetic make-up, temperament, ability and setting. Things will impact negatively on a child’s development at totally different stages, and for various reasons, including:
genetic conditions – for example, Down’s syndrome
prenatal experiences, like the mother misusing alcohol or medication
premature birth
childhood health problem, like infectious disease or injury
neglect or lack of stimulation
attachment disorder.
Speech, language and communication development can be delayed – it is following a normal process of development just slower than would normally expected. It may also be described as disordered – meaning that it is not following a normal developmental pattern. For typical speech and language development milestones click on the relevant link below:
Perhaps the most effective place to begin is with development itself, and what factors might influence it. ‘Development’ can describe a child’s growth, maturation and progress in the development of skills in a large number of different areas over time, for example:
- gross motor e.g. walking
- fine motor e.g. picking things up
- speech sounds
- language and
- knowledge (e.g. understanding or learning),
- or social or emotional.
A child can be described as ‘developmentally delayed’ once he or she is not progressing as expected in one or more of those areas. A chidl may be delayed in all of the areas described: this is known as ‘global development delay’.
Children learn in sequences, where one step builds upon another until a developmental milestone is achieved. For example: rolling over/sitting up/walking.
The rate at which children move through these steps is very variable, and the speed of this development can be attributed to several factors, like the child’s genetic make-up, temperament, ability and setting. Things will impact negatively on a child’s development at totally different stages, and for various reasons, including:
genetic conditions – for example, Down’s syndrome
prenatal experiences, like the mother misusing alcohol or medication
premature birth
childhood health problem, like infectious disease or injury
neglect or lack of stimulation
attachment disorder.
Speech, language and communication development can be delayed – it is following a normal process of development just slower than would normally expected. It may also be described as disordered – meaning that it is not following a normal developmental pattern. For typical speech and language development milestones click on the relevant link below:
one year to eighteen months
eighteen months to two years
two to three years
three to four years
The speech and language therapists working from our speech therapy practice are highly skilled in the assessment and treatment of children with speech and language difficulties as a result of developmental disorder and delay. Contact us to today to discuss your needs or to arrange a specialist appointment. Services are offered in Birmingham, Solihull and across the West Midlands.
The speech and language therapists working from our speech therapy practice are highly skilled in the assessment and treatment of children with speech and language difficulties as a result of developmental disorder and delay. Contact us to today to discuss your needs or to arrange a specialist appointment. Services are offered in Birmingham, Solihull and across the West Midlands.