Delay is when your child doesn'treach their developmental milestones in expected times. If your child is temporarily lagging behind, that is not called developmental delay. Delay can occur in one or many areas—for example, gross or fine motor, language, social, or thinking skills etc.
Causes: Developmental delay can have many different causes, such as genetic causes (like Down Syndrome), or complications of pregnancy and birth (like prematurity or infections). Some causes can be easily reversed if caught early enough, such as hearing loss from chronic ear infections. In neonatal period, if infants get some deadly infections like meningitis, encephalitis and etc also lead to developmental delay.
Prevention: Since there are so many different conditions that can lead to developmental delays, there isn’t one “right way” to prevent developmental delay. What’s important is to be aware of when your baby should be reaching developmental milestones and to consult your pediatrician if you think there may be a problem. Early intervention is key in helping your child overcome any developmental delays. Morally prevention is better than cure.
Diagnosis: Children diagnosed with a developmental delay are often later diagnosed with a developmental disability that explains why they are not reaching their developmental milestones. A child with poor motor skills might later be diagnosed with cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. A child that is not reaching their cognitive or social milestones might later be diagnosed with intellectual disability, learning disability, or autism. In some children, the developmental delays resolve and no diagnosis is made.
Treatment: There is no one treatment that works for every child with a developmental delay. Children are unique; they learn and grow and develop in their own way, at their own pace, based on their strengths and weaknesses. Any treatment plan will take this uniqueness into account and be designed to focus on individual needs. Early intervention services are the main theme of treatment, but any underlying conditions that have led to developmental delay will need to be treated as well. Early intervention therapies may include: Physiotherapy, Speech therapy, Occupational therapy and Behavioral therapy. We have to design treatment methods for each and every kids according to their disability.
Prognosis: The child’s progress depends in large part on the underlying diagnosis for the delay and the individual child’s strengths and challenges. Early identification and treatment will optimize a child’s progress. With a proper treatment plan, most children should progress in their development although the rate of that progress and the extent that the delays resolve is highly variable depending upon the underlying condition. Some children may “catch up” to peers over time while others may have disabilities that persist into adult life. Many of these adults may be independent in their function, some individuals may have mild disability requiring limited societal supports, and others may require extensive supports due to the extent of their disability...
PHYSIOTHERAPIST ROLE:
Motor Developmental delay is when a child does not progress as expected in achievement of specific milestones such as learning to sit, crawl, walk, play or talk. All babies and children develop milestones at their own pace but “every child should do certain tasks by a certain age”.
Early intervention is best: “There are studies that are now reporting that children who have intervention early do better than children who do not have intervention. Physiotherapists are mainly concerned with the development of body postures and large movements (gross motor skills). However, they need to understand the way children develop all their skills, including hearing, speech, vision, fine movements, social behavior and play, in order to assess or treat a child with suspected motor delays.
If there are concerns regarding a baby’s or toddler’s gross motor development, they will usually benefit from assessment by a physiotherapist specializing in pediatrics. Ideally, a child should start physiotherapy as early as possible. Physiotherapy can help babies develop from a very early age, by placing them in beneficial positions and helping them to move. At Therapies for Kids physiotherapists only work with children and provide assessment, advice and / or treatment .
When you first bring your child into Therapies for Kids our physiotherapists will do a detailed assessment of your child's motor skills, including looking at their gross and fine motor skills, their reflexes, muscle strength, range of movement, balance and postural reactions and their sensory development. From this your physiotherapist will discuss with you your concerns and assist in the development if a plan to help you to assist your child gain motor skills.
Physiotherapists focusing on:
- 1. assist your child to achieve physical milestones such as sitting, crawling and standing
- 2. assist your child to gain improved independence in activities of daily living
- 3. improve posture,motor control, muscle strength balance and coordination
- improve confidence
- 4. liase with carer’s and teacher’s to assist them to understand your child’s needs and how they can assist your child with gaining motor skills and independence
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