Children grow at their own pace. Parents might worry when their child takes longer to reach certain developmental milestones. However, small delays are common and often part of normal development.
Learning what serious developmental delays look like and knowing when to seek guidance is crucial, as it helps you act early, thereby making sure your child gets the right support if needed. This article is a useful parental guide on how to easily recognise the symptoms of developmental delays, when to seek help, and how to manage any detected developmental issues.
Developmental milestones are skills most babies learn around a certain age. These skills include how a baby moves, interacts, communicates and explores the world. Each new ability builds on the one before it and gives a small clue about how the brain and body is developing. Therefore, keeping track of a baby’s developmental milestones is important, as it helps ensure the baby’s overall physical and mental development is on track and is age-appropriate.
1. Motor skills: The baby’s movement, balance and coordination improve
2. Language and communication: The baby begins making sounds and gestures and forms simple words
3. Social and emotional: The baby starts showing feelings and engaging with others
4. Cognitive: The baby starts learning, problem-solving and exploring
Milestones, like the ones shown below, usually appear gradually through the first year:
Babies will try to lift their heads during tummy time, move arms and legs, react to loud sounds, smile back when you smile at them.
Babies will have good head control, prop themselves up on their elbows during tummy time, open their mouths when hungry and see the breast or the bottle, make cooing sounds, hold objects placed in their hands, and turns over.
Babies sit with support, enjoys looking at self in mirror, reach out for toys, examine objects by putting them in their mouths, make laughter sounds, have a “conversation” by making sounds, like eh,oh,oo.
Babies will begin to sit without support, bang objects together, use repeated syllables like “mama-mama”, raise their arms to be picked up, make facial expressions to show emotions, claps hands, waves bye- bye and responds to name.
Babies stand without support position, pick up small items using their thumbs and pointer fingers, wave to say goodbye, walk around by holding onto furniture, responds to simple request and plays ball game.
Babies walk alone, crawls upstairs, imitates domestic work, bring and shows toys of interest.
Child runs around, walks up stairs with 2 feet per step, recognizes body parts and names common objects.
Child walks upstairs with alternate feet’s, rides tricycle, talks sentences with 3 words, copies a circle, knows name and gender, identifies few colors and shapes.
Child learn to hop, walk downstairs with alternate feet, copies cross and square. Plays with peers, says poem, simple story, letters and numbers.
These milestones are guides and not deadlines. All babies develop at their own pace and may not reach every skill at the expected time. Small delays are common and usually nothing to worry about. Concern starts only when several skills are late or when progress slows down over time. That is when it helps to look for signs of developmental delay and know when to seek advice.
Developmental delay means a child is taking longer than expected to learn certain skills for their age. One late skill is not usually a cause for worry, but when many skills are behind or progress slows for a long period, it may point to a delay. Early support after identifying developmental red flags helps children learn these skills more easily.
Developmental delays can appear in:
These involve thinking and learning. A child may struggle to follow simple directions or solve age-appropriate problems.
These relate to how a child interacts with others, shows feelings and communicates needs. A delay may look like difficulty in understanding social cues, joining play or coping with changes in routine.
Delays may manifest as restricted vocabulary,unclear speech or difficulty comprehending what others are saying.
Fine motor skills involve small movements like holding a spoon or drawing. Gross motor skills involve bigger movements like rolling, sitting, standing and walking. A delay may look like difficulty using hands for simple tasks or trouble reaching movement milestones.
When you watch how your child plays, moves, speaks, and learns over time, you can spot delays. Instead of focusing on a specific skill, look for patterns.
Given below are a few of the issues that kids with developmental delays experience:
● Rolling, sitting, crawling or walking much later than expected for age
● Trouble using hands for simple tasks like picking up small objects or holding a spoon
● Speaking fewer words than expected or finding it hard to express needs
● Difficulty understanding what others say
● Problems socialising, joining play or responding to social cues
● Slow progress in learning compared with children of the same age
● Difficulty solving problems, thinking logically or connecting actions to consequences
● Trouble remembering things or following simple steps
Factors commonly linked to developmental delays include:
Examples include conditions like Down syndrome or Fragile X, where development naturally progresses at a slower pace.
Premature birth, low birth weight or reduced oxygen during birth can affect early development.
Ongoing hearing or vision problems, frequent untreated ear infections or other medical conditions can make learning certain skills harder.
Toxins during pregnancy, such as alcohol or certain drugs, or exposure to lead after birth can affect brain development.
Limited access to proper nutrition or extreme stress and trauma during childhood can slow developmental progress.
There aren't any lab tests that can confirm a developmental delay. Screening for developmental delays actually checks how a child plays, moves, communicates and understands the world. Doctors observe the child during regular visits and ask parents simple questions or provide a short checklist to fill in. They look at overall progress because children build skills at different times. Early screening helps find delays sooner. This will enable parents and healthcare professionals to take timely action and find the best ways to help the child reach the developmental milestones.
When developmental delays are identified, there are many ways to help a child learn new skills.
Approaches commonly used include:
This helps children with delayed gross motor skills learn movements such as sitting, standing, walking and balance.
This builds fine motor control, hand–eye coordination, sensory processing and everyday skills like feeding and dressing.
Speech therapists evaluate the child's communication skills. They then create therapy sessions that help the child to understand words, expand vocabulary and improve speech clarity.
This form of therapy is useful for children who struggle with behaviour, attention or social skills. It teaches coping strategies and positive behaviour patterns.
Special educators use structured play and learning activities to develop thinking skills, early social interaction and problem-solving.
There will always be moments when raising a child with delays will feel overwhelming and frustrating. You want to help but you're not sure how to do it without hurting your child. These emotions are actually quite normal and even expected.
Children with developmental delays will need with proper care and management. Parents will need to make a few changes at home and offer steady encouragement to their children. This will make a huge difference!
Here are a few tips for parents to help their little ones to achieve developmental milestones:
● Watch your child over days and weeks. Write down what you notice. This helps you see real progress and know when to ask for advice.
● Keep your home calm and playful. Read together. Build with blocks. Let your child explore while feeling safe.
● Help your child spend time with other children. Start with short playtimes or one friend if large groups feel hard.
● Break skills into simple tasks your child can achieve. Success builds confidence.
● Stick to regular sleep and balanced meals. A rested and healthy child learns better and feels better.
● Celebrate every step forward. A new sound or a new movement shows growth. Your encouragement helps your child feel proud.
Being a parent is a tough job and it’s going to seem a lot harder when your little ones have issues like developmental delays. Please remember that developmental delays do not define your child or your parenting. They show where a child needs a little extra help, not who they are or what they will become. With early attention, guidance and steady reassurance at home, children often make strong progress in their own way and in their own time. Stay patient and celebrate each developmental milestone as and when it happens.
Developmental delay means a child is taking longer than expected to learn age-appropriate skills in areas like movement, communication, thinking or social interaction.
Genetic conditions, birth complications, hearing or vision issues, nutrition problems, etc., could cause developmental delays in kids.
Therapies like physical, speech, behavioural, and occupational help children learn skills and improve over time.
Doctors observe how a child plays, communicates, moves and learns, ask parents questions and use standard developmental screening tools to assess overall progress.
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