How to spot 5 common developmental delays in preschoolers
Zofishan Umair
Zofishan Umair
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Even before making their arrival on earth, your child will make one thing very clear: they are going to do everything on their timetable. From completely disregarding the expected delivery date to popping out a tooth, these kids call the shots!
And that’s all okay until you have to decide if your child isn’t walking out of sheer laziness or if they are showing signs of developmental delays that need to be addressed ASAP. Especially when you start comparing them to other children (we shouldn’t, but we do.)
Global developmental delay refers to significant delays in two or more areas of developmental growth in infants and preschoolers up to age 5, lasting at least 6 months.
If this is something you suspect you’re navigating, here’s a quick overview of developmental delays in toddlers that can help you and your child:
What are the five developmental stages?
First, we need to understand the five developmental stages a child goes through.
The first stage is infancy, which is from birth to 18 months. This is when your infant develops a sense of trust and attachment to you or any other caretaker. They will also realise they have complete control over their tiny fingers and hands. In short, they learn to control their bodies.
In this stage, they communicate through crying, cooing, and babbling.
The second stage is toddlerhood, which goes from 18 months to 3 years. In these formative years, children will reach developmental milestones like independence, walking and talking and developing a sense of autonomy. (There is a lot of “mine!” and “no” in these years — Aah, fun times!)
The third stage, which is the one we’re going to focus on, is preschool. The preschool stage begins at age 3 and goes up to age 5. During this time, your child will develop social skills, start understanding basic concepts like counting and shapes, and most importantly, learn to express themselves through play. Early childhood is a critical period for identifying and addressing developmental delays.
The last two stages are school age (6–12 years), where children develop cognitively, academically, and socially and begin to understand more abstract concepts, and adolescence, a.k.a puberty (13–18 years). This is when children develop physically, emotionally, and sexually and think more abstractly.
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5 developmental delays in children
The developmental stages are simply used to understand how our tiny little humans grow and develop into complex adults with unique personalities. Each stage is based on physical, cognitive, and emotional milestones that children typically go through as they pass through that stage. Here’s a list of developmental delays:
- Physical delays
- Cognitive delays
- Language delays
- Social-emotional delays
- Behavioural Delays
Physical delays include delays in reaching milestones such as sitting up, crawling, walking, and climbing. These can also encompass delays in fine motor skills, such as difficulty with hand-eye coordination, and gross motor skills.
Cognitive delays include trouble understanding cause-and-effect relationships, recognising familiar faces, and grasping basic concepts like numbers and shapes. Cognitive skills are crucial for a child’s development, and early intervention can help address these delays effectively.
Language delays are the most common type of delay and include late talking, little to no babbling, etc. A child may not have said his first words and may be unable to form or communicate in simple or complete sentences.
Social-emotional delays include delays in smiling, making eye contact, and beginning to understand emotions. Social or emotional delays may be related to an autism spectrum disorder, and early intervention is significant for progress. Behavioural delays consist of late toilet training, following simple instructions, and understanding limits.
For a preschooler, a cognitive delay may be the inability to understand the concepts of cause and effect or may suffer from learning difficulties. Similarly, a preschooler with behavioural delays may show signs of frustration or prolonged tantrums and outbursts.
What is the most common developmental delay in children?
It’s cute when a two-year-old talks in two-word sentences, repeating the same word a dozen times to get his point across, but it can become a cause for concern a year later if nothing changes.
Unfortunately, speech and language delays are the most common developmental delays in children. These delays can significantly impact a child’s development in other areas, such as cognitive and social skills.
Your child might have difficulty speaking or using appropriate social communication skills like waving goodbye or clear speech.
Identifying this delay during the preschool years is important because this is the time when the child’s brain is learning and developing. However, speech and language delays are not synonymous, even though it can be difficult to tell in younger children.
If a child struggles with understanding words or concepts, he might suffer from a receptive language disorder. But if they have a limited vocabulary, they may have an expressive language disorder.
This is why it is important to seek help. Early intervention and a timely diagnosis can help you and your child navigate your way through life more successfully.
Causes of developmental delay
One of our first reactions as parents is to find the answers to the big “Why?”
Why does my child have a speech delay? Why are they acting this way? Was it because of something I did? Is it my fault?
Fortunately, science has come a long way and provides concrete evidence as to why things are the way they are. And no, it is not because a pregnant mother accidentally devoured an entire jar of expired olives.
A variety of factors can cause developmental delays in children:
Genetic conditions or chromosomal abnormalities, as well as certain medical conditions, such as premature birth, low birth weight, or exposure to certain toxins, can all contribute to developmental delays. It is important to differentiate developmental disabilities, like autism spectrum disorder, from developmental delays, as they are lifelong conditions requiring early intervention and support.
Environmental factors such as poverty, lack of access to early intervention, and exposure to violence can also contribute to developmental delays. These factors can result in different types of developmental delays, including speech and language, vision, motor skills, social and emotional interaction, and cognitive abilities.
In many cases, brain trauma or injury has resulted in developmental delays in toddlers.
Helping kids with developmental delays
It’s important to note that sometimes, there may be no known cause for a child’s developmental delay. All the same, the only way to help a preschooler showing signs of developmental delay is by following these two steps:
1. Do not freak out:
Freaking out in front of the child can cause additional trauma, and asking them to do something they’re struggling with will only increase their stress level. If your child is showing any signs of a developmental delay, it is okay to worry about it and voice your concerns.
A child who may have been showing signs of speech or language delay may have poor hearing, or just happen to be a late talker. After all, wasn’t Einstein one too?
The only way to know is to talk to an expert, which brings us to step 2.
2. Early intervention can help your child:
A multidisciplinary evaluation by a pediatrician, neurologist, and/or developmental pediatrician, along with other specialists, is the best way to identify the cause of the delay in your preschooler and help your child progress.
This way, you can ensure your child gets the help they need on time.
An evaluation or developmental screening can also help rule out delays that will help create a more positive and nurturing environment for the child.
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Zofishan Umair
Follow +Zofishan is a journalist, humour columnist, and a mum who has survived nappy explosions mid-air. She has over a decade of experience writing for print and online publications and is currently working on her first book.