Developmental Medicine — Parent Education

Children who experience developmental delays may need more help to reach their developmental milestones, such as crawling, walking, talking, eating and progressing, as expected for their age. They may also struggle with interacting with others, being physically active, learning academic skills or participating in school. With the right support and guidance, it can be possible for them to achieve these milestones and reach their full potential. It is important to remember that every child develops at his or her own pace, but with early intervention and proper treatment, children with developmental delays can thrive and succeed in life.

Babies born prematurely, before their expected due date, are at increased risk of experiencing lifelong developmental problems, such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, poor overall health and slowed growth. Even those born late preterm, four to six weeks before their due date, may encounter long-term difficulties, including behavioral, social, emotional and learning challenges.

Genetic disorders occur when the child’s genetic information develops differently than expected. Our genetic information contains instructions that tell our bodies how to grow and develop properly. For this reason, a genetic disorder can affect the child at any point in life. Some cause symptoms that are recognized at birth, while others develop over time. Some common genetic disorders that affect development include:

• Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)
• Fragile X syndrome
• Klinefelter syndrome
• Triple-X syndrome
• Turner syndrome
• Trisomy 18
• Trisomy 13

Several disorders affect a child’s ability to pay attention, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Symptoms may include difficulty paying attention, being easily distracted, forgetfulness, misplacing things, struggling to complete tasks and not being able to follow instructions. 

Children with behavioral disorders have disruptive behaviors that cause problems in school, home and social situations. Behavioral disorders may include:

• Inattentiveness (not paying attention)
• Hyperactivity (increased movement)
• Impulsivity (sudden, unplanned actions)
• Defiant behavior (not obeying)
• Drug use (using harmful drugs not prescribed by a doctor)
• Mischievous or criminal activity (harmful or illegal behavior)
• Irritability or aggressiveness (difficulty controlling emotions or anger) 

Mental health conditions include anxiety and depression. These conditions can affect children in the way they think, behave, interact with others or manage their emotions. These conditions can be stressful for children and disrupt their ability to function at home, in school or in other social situations.

Feeding difficulties are commonly experienced in children with developmental delays. Many times, these difficulties are behavioral in nature. Once physical or medical issues are ruled out, emotional aspects of feeding can be addressed. Parents often see disruptive behaviors during mealtimes that include:

• Throwing food
• Crying or screaming to get out of eating
• Taking food from others
• Refusing to eat

Children with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays are more likely to experience problems sleeping, such as difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep or waking early in the morning. Sleeping problems differ in type and seriousness depending on a child’s diagnosis. 

Children with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays can struggle to complete steps involved in toilet training, including communicating that they need to go to the bathroom, taking their pants down, using the toilet, wiping themselves and washing their hands. Breaking down the steps and meeting children at their level of ability can be helpful when toilet training. 

Learning disorders involve a child’s ability to read, write or do math. A learning disability is not the same as a child’s intelligence level. An extremely intelligent child may still struggle with learning-specific skills that may come easily to kids in the same age group of the same intelligence and education level. Specific learning disorders may cause difficulties with spelling, understanding reading materials, writing thoughts or solving math problems.

A nervous system disorder, such as Tourette syndrome, involves uncontrollable repetitive movements or sounds, such as constantly blinking the eyes, shrugging the shoulders or blurting out words (often rude or bad words).

Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, affects a person's ability to communicate and socialize with others and leads to behaviors that affect their day-to-day life. In short, it causes social and communication challenges and rigid or repetitive behaviors. ASD is associated with other issues, such as developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, learning challenges and concentration deficit disorder. About one in 44 children in the United States have ASD, and it is becoming more common.