What Is Global Developmental Delay?
Global developmental delay, also known as developmental delay, is an umbrella term and is used to define a child who is slow in learning developmental activities, including both mental (cognitive) and physical activities such as how to walk, talk, move, or learn new things or interact with others. It is easily diagnosable when the child is slow or lags in more than one milestone, including motor skills, cognitive skills, emotional development, speech, or social evolution of the child.
A child often learns important developmental skills such as sitting, getting up, rolling over, crawling, making noise (trying to speak), talking, and toilet training by a certain age. Each of these milestones and others has a definitive age mark by which they should be flagged off; delay in achieving that mark is often termed as developmental delay or global developmental delay. The development of every child is at its own pace. Some children develop before their respective age, and some after. However, there is a standardized age level to achieve those developmental milestones.
Delay in achieving those minor delays are usually not alarming or even noticeable, but delay beyond the standardized age is a significant flag toward global developmental delay. This delay may be due to a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to heredity, complications while developing or during pregnancy, and often in the case of a child with premature birth.
An individual suffering from other conditions, such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, or an injury to the brain (or parts of the brain) may also suffer from global developmental delay.
What Causes Global Developmental Delay?
There is no one specific cause of global developmental delay that is yet to be known. However, medical illnesses, trauma, or other genetic causes might be the reason behind a child developing global developmental delay. Some of the causes are:
1. Genetic or hereditary causes or illnesses.
2. Physical trauma to the brain (due to an accident, injury, or due to shaken baby syndrome).
3. Psychological stress or trauma (such as post-traumatic stress disorder or bipolar disorder).
4. Pregnancy exposure to substances leads to postpartum side effects (such as tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, or lead poisoning).
5. Severe level of infections during pregnancy or post-birth at the time of infancy (such as meningitis, encephalitis).
6. Malnutrition.
7. Metabolic disorders (hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria).
8. Certain syndromes such as Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X syndrome, autism, or muscular dystrophy.
9. Premature birth.
10. History of physical or mental abuse.
11. Lack of oxygen during labor (affecting both the mother and the child).
12. Dysarthria (a disorder wherein the muscles controlling speech are compromised).
13. Hearing loss is a complete illness or due to an ear infection.
14. Congenital infections.
15. Intracranial hemorrhage or cranial trauma.
What Are the Symptoms of Global Developmental Delay?
Symptoms of global developmental delay are divided into subcategories. Those subcategories are:
Motor Skills - Global developmental delay affects the motor skills, both fine and gross motor skills. Children develop at their own pace; but a momentary delay is normal and understandable however delay in achieving motor skills milestones such as holding things and movements (walking, crawling, or climbing stairs). Children develop and move at their own pace, the standardized age to lift their heads (motor skills) is by three months, they sit with external support (gross motor skill) for around six months, and can walk on their own (gross motor skill) by two years of their life.
Following are the symptoms of the global developmental delay affecting the motor skills:
1. Loose extremities or floppy limbs.
2. Stiff arms.
3. Restricted movements (with respect to arms and legs and sometimes neck).
4. Inability to sit (with or without support) even by nine months of age.
5. Excess of involuntary movements.
6. Inability to stand or support weight on legs even when the child is one year old.
Speech Skills - Global developmental delay has an effect on speech and language skills. The generalized or appropriate age when the child learns speech and language is by three years of their age. Around six months, most children or infants recognize sounds and speech or basic language. Around twelve to fifteen months of age, an infant develops the ability to speak or make simple word sounds (although it often does not make sense).
Speech and language delays are not the same. Speech is the movement of muscles coordinated amongst the vocal tracts, lips, tongue, and jaw to make sound or speech. Delay in speech is characterized when the child is not making sounds or speech as expected or generalized of their respective age. Delay in the language is flagged off when the child has difficulty understanding what people say or express. Language includes speaking, writing, singing, and gesturing. Difficulty understanding these or delay in understanding these are tagged as global developmental delay.
Common Symptoms - Except for the motor and speech symptoms, global developmental skills have some symptoms that are commonly observed in an infant or a child. Some of the common symptoms are:
1. Not responsive (to their name or other sounds directed at them).
2. Poor social skills.
3. Dislike socializing with people (avoids cuddling or playing with others).
4. Difficulty coordinating.
5. Slow development in almost all the respective areas.
6. Lower scores on IQ tests.
7. Difficulty expressing their emotions and thoughts.
8. Lagging thought process or poor logical thinking.
9. Inability to complete everyday tasks.
10. Retarded or delayed conceptual abilities.
11. Aggressive behavior.
12. Poor communication skills.
What Is the Treatment of Global Developmental Delay?
Treatment protocol for global developmental delay concerns a healthcare professional and a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist. The specialist tests the child for the delay concerning motor or speech or other symptoms and then adapts the treatment procedures to change or fix the said delay. Early intervention is important as it prevents the disorder and helps the child develop more comfortably. The treatment plan includes the concerning healthcare providers:
- Speech therapists.
- Physical therapists.
- Occupational therapists.
- Audiologists (hearing specialists).
- Pediatricians.
- Neurologists.
- Behavioral therapists.
These professionals help the child adjust and ask for their basic needs. To express their thoughts, expressions, feelings, and concerns.
Conclusion:
A child suffering from global developmental delay has reservations about going out in public as they may feel embarrassed because of the delay they face in achieving their developmental milestones. Genetic and environmental factors play a crucial role in causing developmental delay. A child may suffer from other medical conditions that can lead to developmental delays or any severe infection they may suffer from birth or in infancy.
Symptoms of global developmental delay may range from motor skills to speech skills; certain common symptoms delay the overall growth of the child, which hampers the child from living a relatively normal life. The sooner the disorder is diagnosed, the sooner a treatment plan can be formed to help the child grow. Treatment is planned according to the symptoms faced by the child. Global developmental delay is an easily detectable and treatable condition only when a formal diagnosis is made before any complication takes place.
