Normal Child Development and Information on Developmental Delays
The term developmental delay refers to a deviation from the expected ranges of developmental stages. Around the world, there are various ways of monitoring developmental milestones that define the expected pace of children’s development in the period between birth and 6 years. In Israel, the monitoring is performed at the Family Care Center, based on a list of milestones in the following areas: gross motor, fine motor, language and society, which were established through research on the local population. After every visit to the Family Care Center, parents will receive information about the development that is expected by the next visit and advice on how to reinforce normal development.
Approximately 10% of children have a developmental delay in one or more areas, but this does not necessarily mean that they have a developmental disorder. Some completely healthy infants have a slower developmental pace for a variety of reasons, such as genetic and environmental factors but ultimately hit all of the developmental milestones. Where the child has not reached the milestone that is expected for 95% of children his age, the recommendation is to request a developmental assessment, based on the referral to be provided by the Family Care Center, to continue the evaluation and determine whether therapy is needed as well.
Developmental monitoring at the Family Care Center for infants and children under the age of 6 is designed for early detection of developmental disorders, to help provide relevant professional assistance and to prevent the formation of additional developmental gaps.
Some children have a mild developmental disorder, for which short-term guidance and reassessment is sufficient to treat, for example: for a child with a smaller than expected vocabulary, the nurse may recommend that the parents speak with the child more frequently and make sure to read books. In some cases, a developmental delay requires a full diagnosis and relevant therapy by a multidisciplinary staff at a child development department.
It is important to remember that early intervention improves the chances of progress, and so detection of developmental delays and disorders is important. In addition, since during the first years of life, the brain is at a peak in terms of its ability to adapt and reorganize following new experiences, this is a critical opportunity for intervention that may improve development.
There are cases when the nursery school and preschool staff notice a delay and they can alert the parents about it, and of course if you sense that something is not right with the child, you should contact the Family Care Center or a pediatrician to examine the issue.
In this article we will discuss in detail the developmental delays that are treated by child development units, to help you become familiar with the subject and the treatment.
Important
Important
As part of a developmental assessment, it is important to first examine whether the child’s senses are functional, and you may be referred to a vision and hearing test.
Types of developmental delays
Developmental delays are generally divided to the following fields:
- Motor delay: divided into two sections - gross motor (sitting, crawling, standing and walking) and fine motor (like pinching, lifting objects).
- Language delay: language skills (from mumbling to speaking) that do not reach the expected pace for a child of a certain age, comprehension and expression problems, difficulty understanding meaning or inability to effectively use language.
- Social developmental delays: lack of interest and avoidance of social relations and interactions, difficulty understanding facial expressions and emotions, communication problems, fear of social situations.
- Global delay: combination of two or more types of delays, possibly indicating complex developmental disorder. For example: communication problems that manifest as lack of play, lack of eye contact, difficulty establishing a relationship others, exaggerated and abnormal interest in certain objects or repetition of certain body movements.
In addition, you should know that while normal development demonstrates cognitive ability, we must always pay attention to the child’s emotional state.
Important warning signs
When monitoring children’s development, reference is always made to a child’s age, and the expected developmental stage based on developmental milestones of the Family Care Center. There are also crucial signs you should know, and if they appear, you should seek consultation:
- Developmental regression: children who reached any stage in the developmental milestone and suddenly began significant regression that is not disappearing.
- Asymmetry: infants and children who suffer from imbalance when performing tasks that should be symmetrical and equal, such as reaching out for a toy and lack of use of the second hand - preference to one side and avoiding use of the other side.
- Lack of communication: infants who do not establish eye contact, do not smile, do not demonstrate interest in their environment, and so on.
- Lack of curiosity: infants who do not demonstrate interest and do not explore their environment, do not place their hands and objects into their mouth and do not try to touch anything.
If any of these bothers you, or if you suspect that something is wrong, you should contact the Family Care Center or your pediatrician to share the cause of the referral (for instance, the one-year-old is not crawling). If a significant developmental delay is revealed, you will be referred to a child development institute (Hebrew) for continued assessment and therapy.
Important
Important
As part of the government health services basket, children under the age of 9 with developmental or medical disabilities are entitled to receive a diagnosis and therapy in a child development unit. Children with developmental disorders with underlying diseases are entitled to receive these services until they turn 18. Children in the special education system are entitled to additional therapies, based on the determination by a certified professional from the HMO.
In conclusion, if your child is referred to developmental diagnosis that reveals a developmental disorder, you will receive a referral to one of the child development institutes or units for continued treatment. If the disorder is mild, you may be referred to private therapists who work with Ministry of Health approval.
Note: when initiating a child development therapy, whether you are referred to a child development institute or unit or contact a professional privately, make sure the therapists are licensed by the Ministry of Health.