How Can We Overcome

A developmental delay refers to a child who has not gained the developmental skills expected of him or her, compared to others of the same age. Delays may occur in the areas of motor function, speech, and language, cognitive, play, and social skills. Global developmental delay means a young child has significant delays in two or more of these areas of development. Not meeting developmental milestones at the same rate as other kids isn’t always a reason to worry. Children don’t all develop skills on a strict timetable.

Children presenting with mild developmental delay, in the absence of any red flags and no abnormality detected on clinical examination, parents can be advised about appropriate stimulation activities and a review conducted in three months’ time, especially if earlier milestones were achieved. For example, an 18-month-old child may present with concerns of expressive language delay, as he has only started saying a few single words with meaning.

In cases where delays have been identified, but there is parental denial, make sure that there is a more detailed developmental assessment. The functional impact of the child’s developmental delay should be explained to the parents for them to understand the situation.

At Jeevaniyam during each consultation, the primary care physician encourages the parents to share any concerns they might have about their child’s development or behaviour, conduct an opportunistic evaluation (developmental surveillance) and ensure that the child has attended developmental screening at the prescribed touch points. Based on the consultation, a decision can be made to review again, refer further or discharge.

We train the kids with the following skills:

• Cognitive (or thinking) skills:

  The ability to think, learn and solve problems.

• Social and emotional skills:

  The ability to get along with others, communicate needs, and show and express feelings.

• Speech and language skills:

  The ability to use and understand language.

• Fine and gross motor skills:

  The ability to coordinate small and large muscles to explore the world.

• Daily living activities:

  The ability to manage everyday tasks. improve the following areas for the kids.