INTRODUCTION TO DEVEOPMENTAL DELAY

Introduction and Definition
As a child grows and develops, he learns different skills, such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, or waving goodbye. These skills are known developmental milestones. A child with a developmental delay does not reach these milestones at the same time as other children the same age. There are five main groups of skills that make up the developmental milestones. A child may have a developmental delay in one or more of these areas.
• Gross motor: using large groups of muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, etc., keeping balance, and changing positions.
• Fine motor: using hands and fingers to be able to eat, draw, dress, play, write, and do many other things.
• Language: speaking, using body language and gestures, communicating, and understanding what others say.
• Cognitive: Thinking skills including learning, understanding, problem-solving, reasoning, and remembering.
• Social: Interacting with others, having relationships with family, friends, and teachers, cooperating, and responding to the feelings of others.
Usually, there is an age range of several months where a child is expected to learn these new skills. Some skills need to be developed before new skills can be learned. For instance, children must learn to crawl before they can walk. If the normal age range fro walking is 9 to 15 months, and a child still isn’t walking by 20 months, this would be considered a developmental delay. Growth in each area of development is related to growth in the other areas. So if there is a difficulty in speech and language, it is likely to influence development in other areas such as social or cognitive development.
It is important to identify developmental delays early so that treatment can minimize the effects of the problem.

WHO DOES DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY AFFECT?
In the