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Developmental delays in children can be a cause of concern for a parent or caregiver. Developmental delays can affect the cognitive, emotional, motor, or social development of a child and lead to long-term effects if not detected and treated on time. The earlier the developmental delay is detected, the earlier intervention can begin, the higher the chance of a great outcome. We are discussing developmental delay symptoms in children here in this blog and how intervention in an early stage by a professional can be beneficial. The signs identified will diagnose the condition and provide the child with whatever he or she needs.
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Developmental Delays Symptoms in Kids
Although all children grow and develop at his or her own rate, there are some milestones that need to be achieved at a specific age. When the child is absent or significantly lagging behind in the achievement of these milestones, children’s developmental delay can be the cause. Some of the most prevalent symptoms of developmental delay are as follows:
1. Speech and Language Delay
The most frequent indicator of developmental delay in a child is speech and language delay. The children usually begin to say the first words at one year of age and short sentences at two years of age. If the child is not talking at the age of two or having problems with simple directions, it is an indicator of developmental delay.
Delayed child, echolalia, or common word or command problem can be remediated with intervention or speech therapy. Delayed speech and language can be cured at an early age, and it can assist children with communication. However, it can be resolved by speech therapy in Jaipur provided by Milestone PRC.
2. Motor Skill Delays
Learning motor skills is another area in which delay is possible. Large muscles that are used in movements like crawling, walking, or running are gross motor skills, and small muscles used in moving a pencil to write, to eat with, or to button your shirt are fine motor skills. Motor skill delay could be in the form of the child not being able to walk or crawl at the right time, or not being capable of doing such primitive activities as reaching forward in order to get things that are very small or using the spoon and the fork to eat.
These child developmental delays can affect activity of daily living and independence. If your child is delayed in motor skills, i.e., cannot sit, walk on legs, or use hand play to play a toy, interventions must be undertaken to manage it.
3. Social and Emotional Delays
The child’s capability to play and control their feelings is of the most significance to show development. The majority of children start noticing playing with others at the age of two or three. If the child doesn’t maintain eye contact, doesn’t have friends, or isn’t focusing on other children for the purpose of play, then it may be a reason for developmental delay.
Emotional development will also be delayed. The children will learn to regulate primary emotions, for example, anger or frustration, at the age of three typically. If the child is never going to regulate or express their emotions, then development will be delayed. Delays also encompass not being able to read social cues or empathize.
4. Cognitive Delays
Cognitive development refers to the capacity of the child to learn, think, and solve problems. Four years is the time when children can recognize shapes, numbers, and letters, while at five years, they should be able to follow simple instructions. Inability to comprehend such basic things as counting, recognition of shapes, or following simple instructions reflects cognitive delay.
Mental retardation children may struggle to learn and understand, and thus can lack learning throughout their lives. It must be diagnosed and treated early by Neurodevelopment Therapies so that the children gain necessary intellectual skills.
5. Little or No Interest in Play
Play is extremely critical during a child’s development phase, and from it he learns motor, social, and problem-solving. Most characteristic in regard to three-year-old personality traits is role-playing, playing with functional toys, and playing with others. Limited play or dislike of playing could indicate reverse development in cognition, society, or in motility.
Children who do not cooperate with the use of fantasy, battered toys, or social play with other children may need to be directly instructed to acquire social and cognitive skills.
6. Swallowing and Feeding Difficulties
Feeding and swallowing difficulty is also a sign of developmental delay in children, especially infant and toddlers. If a child cannot suck, chew, and swallow food, then it could be a sign of oral motor delay in the child. Nutrition and independent feeding could be affected by such delays.
Difficulty with eating and swallowing most frequently requires the intervention of higher levels of care in the way of feeding therapy, to train children to eat normally and to recover from subsequent developmental lags behinds.
7. Retarded Toilet Training
Toilet training is also a milestone that failure to accomplish at the anticipated ages can be used in determining developmental delay in children. Toilet training among most children usually starts when they are two or three years old. Gross delay in accomplishment of this milestone by a child would be an indication of developmental delay in motor development, language, or control of one’s emotions.
Delayed toilet training can also be an indication of times of struggling to gain independence or shyness. If one still struggles with being toilet trained after three, one ought to seek advice from an expert to determine if there are some underlying delays in development.
8. Difficulty with Maintaining Eye Contact
Eye contact is one of the first child-caregiver interactions. Children will establish eye contact with caregivers and smile by six months. Inability to establish eye contact or consistent inability to make eye contact is a mark of delay in social or emotional development.
Inability to sustain eye contact also implies inability to decode or identify social cues, which interferes with child’s peer relationship.
9. Repetitive Behavior
Repetition of the behavior of hand-flapping, rocking, or repetition of one action is in some cases characteristic of developmental delay in children. The children will most likely have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or another developmental disorder. Repetitive behavior could be an indicator of sensory processing or response to novel stimuli in the environment.
Repetitive behavior early intervention is able to instruct children on adaptive coping skills and enhance their social interaction ability.
10. Stiffness or Weakness
Physical manifestations of delay children may be stiffness or physical weakness. This is likely to impede the movement of a child in executing ordinary activities like standing, walking, or sitting. A stiff or weak child unable to execute basic movements or tasks may be perceived as having developmental delays in motor skills.
Stiffness and weakness can be controlled by physical therapy so that flexibility and strength are achieved. The children can be independent and confident when they can move their bodies.
Support for Children’s Developmental Delays
If any one symptom of children developmental delay is found, taking expert advice on urgent basis is very much needed. The earlier you do it, the lower will be the level of complexity in helping the children to leave delay and achieve the level of highest possible. There can be some treatment to be given to the children by pediatric physiotherapist, speech therapists, etc., to overcome some development delays.
At Jaipur, Milestone PR Clinic is among the top Pediatric physiotherapy clinic in Jaipur and is expert in cracking the developmental delay issue of children. The clinic offers proper diagnosis and customized treatment to help children cope with motor ability, mental function, speech, and emotional developmental delay. The early intervention programs help children exhibit marvelous improvement and attain healthy growth developmental progress.
Conclusion
Early detection of developmental delays in children can have a huge impact on their well-being and health. Be it language, motor, cognitive, or social-emotional development, there is a channel where all these delays can be dealt with the right kind of therapies and interventions.
If your child is behind, don’t wait and don’t wait to get help professionally so that they can get their intervention and services required to allow them to be as best as they can be. Early intervention is not only available; early intervention also will make children excel in all aspects of development.
