Developmental delay

Key points

• A developmental delay, sometimes called global developmental delay, occurs when children don’t reach milestones that their peers are achieving
• Children with developmental delay may need support with fine motor skills and gross motor skills, speech and language and social skills
• Early intervention and therapy can help children reach the milestones and continue developing

This delay may occur in a child’s movement, communication, thinking, learning or behaviour with others.

Symptoms of developmental delay include:

• achieving milestones at a different rate than the child’s peers;
• difficulty speaking;
• difficulty controlling breathing;
• slow language development and understanding of words resulting in a language delay;
• difficulties combining physical movements into a controlled sequence, learning basic movement patterns or remembering the next movement in a sequence;
• difficulties establishing the correct pencil grip and age-appropriate speed of writing;
• poor balance and spatial awareness;
• trouble picking up and holding onto simple objects;
• difficulties with fine and gross motor skills; and
• issues with body awareness.

Children with developmental delay require more time and effort to learn skills, can take more time to respond to their surroundings and may need support to understand social interactions.

Risk factors for developmental delay include complications at birth, lead poisoning, poor nutrition, exposure to drugs and alcohol before birth, trauma, vision problems, illnesses and chronic ear infections, all of which can affect a child’s development.

Early detection and early intervention are vital. Occupational therapy and speech therapy can help your child with developmental delay to achieve much-anticipated milestones, but the impact of patient and positive parenting strategies cannot be underestimated.

Your child could be eligible to access the early childhood approach, also known as early connections, even if they are not an NDIS participant. This initiative is available for children younger than six years of age with a developmental delay or younger than nine years of age with disability.

However, if your child is younger than six years old and doesn’t meet all the criteria of having developmental delays, you can still access support through the early childhood approach.

To access support through the early childhood approach, your child’s developmental concerns or disability should be assessed by a pediatrician or another relevant health professional. Based on their assessment, your child may be referred to an early childhood partner in your local area.

Read more about how more young children and their families could benefit from the National Early Childhood Program due to recent government funding in this article: How can you access early childhood support?

What strategies do you use to help your child with developmental delay?

Let the team at Disability Support Guide know on social media.

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Related content:
Preparing for your ECEI meeting
What to look for in early intervention supports
Obtaining a diagnosis for your child with disability