Developmental

Delays
Cayley Barton, Kristy Van Gelderen, Kimberly Hardin

What is a developmental delay?

Child with a disability for children aged three through nine (or any subset of that age
range, including ages three through five), mayinclude a child
(1) Who is experiencing developmental delays as defined by the State and as measured by
appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures in one or more of the following areas:
Physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional
development, or adaptive development; and
(2) Who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.
developmental delay - YouTube

Prevalence of Developmental Delays

Sample of children born in the United States in 2001

9-24 months of age
Results indicated that 13% of children in the sample had
developmental delays

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/121/6/e1503.
short

Cognitive Delays

A cognitive delay is defined as when skills including perceptual

discrimination, memory, reasoning academic skills or conceptual
development are delayed.
This delay is usually caused by poor outcomes of birth, inadequate
stimulation, malnutrition, etc.
Delays can be identified by asking their healthcare provider. Most delays
arent identified until they attend school.
Some warning signs a child may have
Has a hard time focusing
Get frustrated with tasks that should be simple for their age

Doesnt stay attentive while performing tasks other children their

age find amusing.

Physical Delays

A physical delay is defined as when skill involving coordination of fine

and large motor skills are delayed.
This is also caused by poor birth outcomes, not enough stimulation,
malnutrition, etc.
Children born between 25-36 weeks are more at risk for developmental
delays.
Some warning signs a child might have a physical delay are
Stiff arms and legs
Floppy or limp body parts
Uses one side of the body more than the other
More clumsy than other children their age.

Includes skills involving expressive and receptive communication abilities, both

verbal and nonverbal
Causes may include:

Hearing loss

Autism Spectrum Disorders

A learning disability

Problems with muscles that control speech

Environment where a child is exposed to more than one language

Characteristics are:

A child who is 6-12 months does not babble or respond to sounds

At 18-24 months, they are not imitating actions, gestures or words

At 2-3 years they have poor attention when spoken to or they do not form
sentences

A child who is 3-5 years is not using multiple-word sentences or talking about
their day

Adaptive Delays

Includes daily living skills as well as

responsibility
Causes may include:

Chromosomal abnormalities

A delay in another area

Cognitive disability
Warning signs are:

Not eating appropriately for their

Not being able to dress themselves

Not being potty trained by 3 years

Not able to be independent

skills involving attention and personal

age
by 18 months
old

Social & Emotional Delays

can mean children have trouble getting along with adults or other children
social and emotional delays can be affected by autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. It can
affect how a child expresses himself, interacts, behaves, and learns.

Autism

children may avoid looking at people

focus intently on an object
ignore others around them for long periods of time
may not use gestures to communicate

Asperger's

trouble understanding nonverbal cues

focus intensely on one topic
trouble making friends or relating to people

What can be done? & What is expected?

Medication
special types of behavioral therapy can help if your child has behavior problems from a delay
work with a therapist to learn how to encourage good social and emotional skills at home

By 3 years, kids usually:

Show interest in other children
Get more comfortable being apart from parents or caregivers
Can keep good eye contact
By 4 years, kids usually:
Cling or cry less often when their parents leave
Pay attention to other children
Respond to people outside of the family
By 5 years, kids usually:
Show a wide range of emotions
Can separate from their parents easily
Want to play with other children

Case Studies
What type of developmental delay is this child experiencing?
What services would be provided?
How could you help this child as their teacher?

Works Cited
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/special_edu/docs/manual
http://www.abilitypath.org/milestone-concerns/signs-of-possible-delays-communication-development.html
http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/dd/#def
http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/developDevDelay.html
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/75355/1/9789241504065_eng.pdf
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/05/19/peds.2010-2989.full.pdf+html
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2012.04423.x/full
http://www.healthofchildren.com/D/Developmental-Delay.html
http://www.goipadwallpapers.com/wallpaper/1298.html
http://www.everydayfamily.com/bullying-and-young-children-how-to-spot-the-signs-and-what-to-do/

Works Cited Continued

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/recognizing-developmental-delays-your-child-ages-3-5?
page=3
http://www.kidsmatters.com.au/case-studies/21/