For children, developing skills such as walking or talking is an individual process whose timing varies slightly from child to child. Your neighbor's infant, for instance, may pick up and shake a rattle several weeks before your son does. Physicians expect these minor differences in normal childhood development. Prolonged or significant delays in one or several areas, however, can signal a problem. Knowing the expectations for development and seeking early intervention can help provide many children with the resources they need to overcome or work around developmental delays.
Identification
Doctors use a list of parameters called "milestones" to judge whether your child's physical, language and thinking abilities are occurring at the expected time for her age. If, for instance, she does not have a vocabulary of about 20 words by 18 months and 50 or more words by 24 months, your physician may begin to suspect a speech delay, according to Kids Health. Before making a diagnosis, however, your physician will likely recommend further evaluation with blood tests, physical exams and formal screenings by speech and language therapists, physical therapists or other developmental specialists.
Causes
The underlying causes of developmental delay vary as much as the children it affects. According to Kids Health, speech delay can occur when a child has a short frenulum, the fold of skin under the tongue, which prevents adequate movement of the tongue when talking. Frequent, untreated ear infections can cause hearing loss and result in speech delay. Other causes include genetic issues, such as Down's syndrome, complications during birth or environmental factors, such as lead exposure. Sometimes health care professionals never find the specific reason for the delay.
Intervention
Effective treatment programs for developmental delay depend upon the cause and skill set affected. Children with Down's syndrome or global developmental delay often need a comprehensive approach that includes physical, occupational and cognitive learning therapies to provide the best possible outcome. If your child has a mild speech delay with no other discernible issues, he may progress rapidly with a few speech therapy sessions and some home practice. Physicians otherwise generally use test results and recommendations made by specialists during screenings to determine the right therapy plan for your child.
Considerations
Early intervention often significantly improves the chances of successful therapy for developmental delay, according to the University of Michigan Health Systems. If you have concerns about your child's development, talk with your family physician. She can give you a list of developmental milestones to watch for or make referrals to other specialists who can do further testing. Many elementary schools and other community programs also offer periodic screening for developmental delay and can provide information regarding local therapy resources.
Expert Insight
Parents cannot prevent all instances of developmental delay, but you can help your child reach his full potential by making sure his home and day care environments stimulate growth. Simple things such as talking to your infant while you shop for groceries or fold laundry help him learn language skills. Sitting on the floor and rolling a ball back and forth develops physical and thinking skills. If he is undergoing therapy for a delay, following the specialist's recommendations for home practice will significantly contribute to the success of his therapy.
