Developmental delay

A developmental delay can occur in an isolated area, multiple or all five areas. The five key developmental areas are:

• Thinking (cognitive) skills
• Emotional and social skills
• Speech and language skills
• Gross and fine motor skills
• Activities of daily life (feeding, dressing and bathing)

Developmental delays do not have one specific cause, they may be caused by birth complications, environmental issues or medical conditions. Developmental delays may be an indicator of future difficulties. Being aware of developmental milestones and expected ages will help to identify developmental delays at the earliest possible point and allow focused interventions. Health visitors or early years settings may be the first to suspect a possible developmental delay.

How is a developmental delay assessed?

A developmental delay is assessed by observing and interacting with the child and speaking with parents or carers to gain a holistic understanding of any difficulties. A developmental delay can usually be assessed up until 3 years and 6 months. If the child or young person is older then we would advise reading about the learning difficulties services we offer. During the assessment process our educational and child psychologists will be looking for areas of strength in addition to areas of developmental delay. A full assessment of developmental delays would include using the Bayley assessment.

Bayley-III

The Bayley is a play-based assessment which allows the assessment of the five main developmental areas, this assessment is suitable for babies from 1 month to 42 months.

What happens after an assessment?

The assessment may find that your child does not have a developmental delay, however your child may benefit from focussed interventions or strategies to strengthen targeted developmental areas. Following the assessment, the outcome and possibility of further intervention can be discussed.

This assessment is not intended to diagnose a developmental delay. The outcome of the assessment will lead to recommendations for interventions or adaptations to further the individual’s development and will be summarised in a report.

What interventions do we support?

Our psychologists provide bespoke interventions targeted for identified areas of developmental delay and support the following:

• Sensory stimulation
• Child-parent interaction
• Environmental adaptations
• Developing play
• Video interaction guidance

To talk to a member of our team in relation to specific interventions please contact us.

A developmental delay can occur for a number of reasons and can be supported through focussed early interventions. Assessments include standardised assessments, observations and questionnaires. If you feel as though your child may have a developmental delay, please contact us to arrange an initial discussion or to discuss your needs.