Does this child look developmentally delayed?

The answer?
You can't tell! His climbing skills (gross motor) certainly are not delayed, but his language skills might be.

​Developmental delay is a diagnosis/term used to describe children who are developing milestones in any one or more of the below five areas at a slower pace than other children of the same age:

1. Gross Motor- using large muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, skip, hop, jump, and balance
2. Fine Motor- using hands and fingers to be able to eat, draw, play, self dressing
3. Language- speaking, communicating, and understanding
4. Cognition- problem solving, memory, comprehension, and other thinking skills
5. Social- interacting with others through relationships and regulating/expressing feelings

Developmental delays may or may not be caused from underlying conditions. The term is very broad and thus it will look differently in each child. For this reason, treatment duration by PT, ST, or OT will also vary greatly. One thing is true for all children with developmental delays -  the sooner treatment is initiated after diagnosis, the quicker the child is able to achieve age-appropriate skills and/or prevent further delays than if treatment is delayed!

Do I need to worry if my child is developmentally delayed? Check out the link below for more information on milestones by age for children from two months to five years old. If you are still unsure, check with your pediatrician or call Aspire today!
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https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/all_checklists.pdf 

Angela Kloiber is a licensed Physical Therapist with Aspire Therapy.

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