Recognize the Issue
Most of the time, watching our children’s development is a joy. It can be scary to recognize that there is something unexpected about a child’s development. Sometimes a child’s development is delayed, meaning that it happens more slowly or seems not to progress. Some parents recognize that their child’s development seems different from his peers, with patterns they do not see described in the parenting books. It is important to seek professional help to understand what you have recognized is a developmental delay. Keep in mind, even pediatricians and teachers may not recognize developmental delays. It is essential to be watchful of your own child. Children with developmental delays may show some of these differences:
- Child does not seek novelty or welcome new things
- Child does not make eye contact with people
- Child does the same thing over and over again (e.g. rubbing a spot on the floor)
- Child overreacts to textures, noises, or transitions
- Child appears overly passive, disinterested in people
- Child speaks only to self, does not have conversations with others
- Child does not play like other children his age
- Unusual movements (flapping arms, repeated movements that do not seem to have a purpose).
- Child is not learning new skills at the same rate as others his age
It is critical to seek to understand your child’s development so you can support him with the right interventions. Research has shown that the key to supporting a child is to provide the correct help as soon as possible. Waiting to see if a child will grow out of a developmental delay often makes the challenges harder to overcome.
Support Services: What do you do?
Depending on the reasons why development the child’s development is different, support may include assessment, psychotherapy or both. Accurate diagnosis through assessment is essential to planning early interventions. Your MindWell psychologist will help put you on the correct path by offering one or more of the following forms of support
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn the testing and treatment options available to help your child with developmental delays.