Identify And Explain The Causes Of Developmental Delay

Early identification of speech, language or communication delay is important for a child or young persons’ well-being. All practitioners have a responsibility to identify children’s needs and intervene with appropriate support as early as possible, to help children achieve the goals of ‘Every Child Matters’ and progress towards the Early Learning Goals. The importance of early language and communication skills for children’s later achievements is now well documented and the need to provide support for children at this early stage is so that they can achieve their full potential. This means recognising a child’s difficulty quickly:

Other factors that can affect a child’s development can include genetic problems passed on by a parent, mental or physical disabilities, poor living conditions causing illness such as asthma, learning difficulties, autism, dyspraxia, aspergers, poor communication skills due to sensory impairment such as deafness, blindness, partially sighted.

However, it is important to observe and note the difference between sequence of development and rate of development, when working with children so that the child’s needs are met. For instance if a child shows delays in any aspect of their growth, taking into account their background, health and environment in which they are growing up, as these factors will affect all areas of development. Tassani et al (2010) states that the difference between sequence of development and rate of development helps identify child’s needs during their stages of their school years. This will help the school to plan and ensure that the child has enough support they require in areas they are struggling with. It is important to be aware of each child’s development as this will give us the knowledge and understanding on how a child is developing so that any concerns or problems are easily spotted , and then investigated and offer the required support. For instance a child with language problems can then be referred to a speech therapist who would then work with the school to implement ways or skills that will help the child. If they

A child’s development can be measured through physical and language milestones, intellectual, emotional and social development.

The difference between sequence of development and rate of development is that a sequence of development is the order in which the development of a child will occur. The rate of development is in which speed/ time this development would happen. Child development experts have carried out a lot of research on young children to work out what most children can do at different ages and the rate at which they grow. From this research, milestones have been identified. A ‘milestone of development’ refers to the age at which most children should have reached a certain stage of development. We think about stages and sequences of development in stages:

Vignette 1 for Developmental Delay: Demetrius is a 41 month old boy. He is an only child and lives with both parents who remain married to date. Demetrius currently resides in a split-level home, with 6 steps leading to the upper level and 9 steps leading to the lower level. His family has limited financial resources, no close relatives that live within a 1-hour driving distance, and few local community contacts. Demetrius has recently been referred to a nearby Children’s Treatment Centre to address functional issues stemming from developmental delays in multiple domains: gross and fine motor, functional emotional, and communication and language. Demetrius was diagnosed with global developmental delay at 38 months of age and is currently being

Some aspects of Development follow a definite sequence. This is particular true when it comes to physical development for example, babies have to learn to lift their heads before they can sit; toddlers have to walk before they can run. It is also the case in other areas such as communication as, for example, a baby recognise words before producing them. While these sequences of development are typical in all children, what can change between individual children is the speed or rate at which they develop. This means some babies will sit unsupported at 7 months,

In fact, given the increasing societal pressure on performance, even late bloomers are subject to

When looking at and discussing a child’s development, you have to remember that all children are different and grow at different rates. Every child will follow the same sequence but they may not necessarily do it at the same time as each other. For example, you could have two, 6 month old babies, 1 could already be able to crawl, and the other 1 may not have mastered it yet and may not until they are a bit older. You must remember that your child is an individual and not group him with another child and expect him/her to reach the milestones at the same time. It is important also that a parent/carer, teacher etc., know the expected sequence a child follows, so they can tell if a child is falling way behind and they may need to intervene to help them along.

time. There are a variety of milestones that include ways in which a child plays, learns,

It is important to know the difference between the sequence and the rate of development as it helps to identify the Childs needs during the stages of their school years. It is crucial to plan effectively ensuring the child receives the support they need in the areas they find most difficult in, for example physical development shows a pacific pattern; a baby will learn to hold their head up before learning to sit unaided or a child will learn to walk before they can run. Another example is a child of 4 should be capable of writing their own names and drawing basics pictures such as shapes before

Developmental delays can include delayed development, failure to thrive short stature , or glow growth. Cognitive delays include intellectual disabilities and slow learning.There are many other effects that this disorder can have on children including atopic dermatitis , body odor , loss of skin color, seizures, and urinary problems.

Many causes can be attributed to speech and language delay, and it is important to understand the characteristics of the causes in order to help a child effectively. Although speech delay can be just that, it may indicate other issues or disorders and may be the first indicator of such (American Family Physician, 2011, pg.1183). Some causes of speech delay are mental retardation, hearing loss, developmental language delay, expressive language disorder, bilingualism, psychosocial development, elective mutism, and receptive aphasia (American Family Physician, 1999).

There are general stages children pass through as they develop and certain time frames during which these transitions occur. There is not a specific time that is considered normal for any individual child to attain a goal, as cultural and environmental factors are also important to development, but researchers have formed general, broad ranges of time in which skills such as walking and talking are displayed. Children with disabilities or delays may follow different paths of development. Children with mental retardation have been found to pass through typical stages of development, such as Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, but at a much slower rate. Burack, Hodapp, and Zigler (1998) however, contrast the idea that slowness

We live in a world where the development is a primary and scarce good high in need and “demand “but is short in “supply” creating “development deficiency” (this much is agreed by many despite limited comprehension of the process of development itself and its ultimate fruits). Poor countries are in need of development taking into consideration they do not have assets to “back up” in contrast to emerging economies that are on the demand side given their economic assets. By “development deficiency” I mean we need and there is a potential “to produce” more development.