developmental delays characteristics

1. Early Intervention
Analuz A. Fuentebella
MAED MA SPED
MASE 422
September 19, 2018
Submitted to: Dr. Aida Damian
University of Perpetual Help System Dalta

2. What is Early Intervention
The EI Program is a federal grant program
run by individual states under Part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
that works with children ages 0-3. Also
called the "Program for Infants and
Toddlers with Disabilities," EI targets
children who show a delay in cognitive,
social, or communication skills. These
children may also have a delay in physical
or motor abilities or self-care skills.

3. What is
developmental
delay
A delay in the appearance of normal
developmental milestones achieved
during infancy and early childhood,
caused by organic, psychological, or
environmental factors. The failure to
meet certain developmental
milestones, such as sitting, walking, and
talking, at the average age.
Developmental delay may indicate a
problem in development of the central
nervous system.

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What Are
Developmental Delays
in Young Children?
There are many different types
of developmental delays in
infants and young children. They
include problems with:
•language or speech
•vision
•movement -- motor skills
•social and emotional skills
•thinking -- cognitive skills

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Sometimes, a delay occurs in many or all of these areas. When
that happens, it is called "global developmental delay." Global
developmental delay may occur for any of the following
reasons:
• a genetic defect, such as Down syndrome
• fetal alcohol syndrome, caused by a mother drinking alcohol
during pregnancy
• fragile X syndrome, an inherited type of cognitive
impairment.
• severe medical problems developing soon after birth, often
associated with prematurity
• often no cause can be found
What follows are warning signs for different types of delays
that may show up from infancy to age 2. You will also learn
about some of the causes of developmental delays and
potential treatments.

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Language and Speech Developmental Delays in Children
Speech delays in toddlers are common. In fact, language and
speech problems are the most common type of
developmental delay. Speech refers to verbal expression,
including the way words are formed. Language is a broader
system of expressing and receiving information, such as being
able to understand gestures.
Possible causes. A variety of problems may cause language
and speech delays, including:
• exposure to more than one language -- which can cause mild
delays in toddlers but not delays by the time they reach
school age
• a learning disability
• child abuse or neglect
• a problem with the muscles controlling speech -- a disorder
called dysarthria
• hearing loss, which may occur in children who have
severe middle ear infections or occur as a result of
certain medications, trauma, or genetic disorders
• autism spectrum disorders -- a group of neurological
disorders that may involve impaired communication
as well as impaired social interaction and cognitive
skills
• no cause can be found

7. Developmental delays can occur in all five areas of development or may just occur in one
or more of those areas. The five areas of development are: Physical development,
cognitive development, communication development, social and emotional
development, and adaptive skills. Growth in one area of development can affect growth
in the other areas. This means that if there is a difficulty in one area (such as physical
development), it may impact other areas (such as speech and language).
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Characteristics

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Physical Development
 Difficulties with gross motor skills - using the large muscle groups that assist in walking,
running, standing, sitting, changing positions and maintaining balance
 Difficulties with fine motor skills - ability to grasp, pinch, eat and dress
 Has stiff arms and/or legs
 Has a floppy or limp body posture compared to other children of the same age
 Uses one side of body more than the other
 Seems to be clumsy compared with other children of the same age
 Has poor muscle tone
 Coordination and balance is below “normal”
 Seems to have difficulty tracking objects or people with eyes
 Rubs eyes frequently
 Turns, tilts or holds head in a strained or unusual position when trying to look at an
object
 Seems to have difficulty finding or picking up small objects dropped on the floor (after
the age of 12 months)
 Has difficulty focusing or making eye contact
 Closes one eye when trying to look at distant objects
 Eyes appear to be crossed or turned
 Brings objects too close to eyes to see
 One or both eyes appear abnormal in size or coloring

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Cognitive Development
Struggles with basic learning, problem solving, and
remembering tasks
Shows delays in basic reasoning skills and play (e.g.
stacking, sorting, nesting, early puzzles)
Shorter attention span than expected given age
Has trouble solving basic problems
Has trouble thinking logically

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Communication Development
 Fails to develop sounds or words that would be age appropriate
 Not able to communicate at age appropriate levels
 May not respond to own name
 Issues with verbal communication, body language, gestures and
understanding what others are saying
 Speech may be delayed, or there may be no speech at all
 Does not use nonverbal communication (pointing and
gesturing) at age appropriate levels
 Uses fewer gestures and those they use are limited in function
 Struggles to receptively or expressively label places, people,
objects
 May be some hearing loss, which also affects language
 Talks in a very loud or very soft voice
 Seems to have difficulty responding to name, even for
something interesting
 Turns body so that the same ear is always turned toward sound
 Has difficulty understanding what has been said or following
directions (after 3 years of age)
 Doesn't startle to loud noises
 Ears may appear small

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Social and Emotional Development
 Difficulty interacting with others and developing relationships with
family and friends
 Has trouble understanding social rules
 Focuses on objects for long periods of time and may enjoy this
more than other activities
 May not seek love and approval from a caregiver or parent
 May become unusually frustrated when trying to do simple tasks
(that most children of the same age can do)
 Rarely makes eye contact
 May not appear to notice others and seems to tune people out
 Often does not build relationships with others their age at a
developmental level expected
 Rarely shares attention with others, such as by showing something,
pointing, or pointing out interests or accomplishments
 Does not demonstrate emotional reciprocity (taking turns)
 Rarely imitates the actions of others in play or otherwise
 Does not know how to play with toys the way they were intended
 Seems to be in his / her “own world”
 Is not interested in other children

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Adaptive behavior (everyday skills for functioning)
 Difficulty bathing, dressing, grooming, and feeding
one’s self
 May have difficulty performing age appropriate skills
independently
 Social skills may be poor (relationships with family and
friends)
 Cannot choose own activities
 Problems using early literacy, writing, and math skills
 Has trouble seeing the consequences of actions
 May be clumsy
 Not displaying toilet training readiness at appropriate
age
 Exhibits problem behaviors and immaturity
 Displays some obsessive/compulsive behaviors
 Has difficulty following rules and routines
 Displays over-sensitivity to certain sounds, textures,
visual stimuli

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Many genetic and environmental
factors figure into a child’s
development and can cause delays
in their development. Even a
healthy pregnancy and proper care
during and after pregnancy can
lead to developmental delays in
children.
Although causes of delays can be
hard to pinpoint, there are many
treatments and support available
to manage developmental delays.