Developmental Delay

Kimberly & Devon

Objectives

Definition of DD

Identification of DD

Characteristics of DD

Intervention

What is DD?

Developmental delay (DD) can generally be defined as a child not reaching specific milestones in one or more of the areas of development (e.g., communication, motor, cognitive, social-emotional, or adaptive skills) as expected for typically developing children (Hadadian & Koch, 2013).

It is an ongoing major or minor delay in the process of development.

What’s NOT DD?

Temporarily lagging behind

Inability to complete difficult task

Not synonymous with Learning Disability (LD)

Developmental MilestonesDM are a set of functional skills or age-

specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age-range.

DM can be categorized into 3 areas of development:

1. Physical: Gross motor – use of large groups of muscles e.g. sit, stand, walk, run, balance, keep position. Fine motor – e.g. eat, dress, write

2. Intellectual: Language – e.g. speaking, body language gestures, understanding others Cognitive – thinking, learning, problem-solving, reasoning, remembering.

3. Social-Emotional – interacting, relationships, cooperating, responding, expressing feelings

Developmental Milestones

Milestones for your students

ECCE

Primary

Secondary

Diagnosis

Usually made by a doctor based on strict guidelines.

Parents are usually first to identify signs of delay

Teachers

Causes of DD

Genetic causes

Prematurity

Hearing loss from chronic ear infection

Developmental Case Study & Activity

Discussion

Do you think there are children/students in your setting/class who are delayed?

How do you know?

What percentage of children/students do you think are delayed?

What have you done/been doing?

What should teachers do?

Intervene

Provide support (based on needs)

Document! Document! Document!

Collaborate

Refer

Exceptional Environments