What is Global Developmental Delay?
According to Indian Academy of Paediatrics Board, “GDD is defined as a significant delay in two or more of the following developmental domains: gross/fine motor, speech/language, cognition, social/personal, and activities of daily living.”
Signs and Symptoms of GDD.
When a child is too late to develop skills like
- Conversing for their immediate needs.
- Learning and developing more slowly than other children the same age.
- Rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking much later than developmentally appropriate.
- Difficulty communicating or socializing with others.
- Lower than average scores on IQ tests.
- Difficulties talking or talking late.
- Having problems remembering things.
- Inability to connect actions with consequences.
- Difficulty with problem-solving or logical thinking.
- Trouble learning in school.
- Inability to do everyday tasks like getting dressed or using the restroom without help.
- They don’t respond to loud noises.
Milestones:
| AGE | SYMPTOMS |
|---|---|
| 7 months | babble and make many other speech sounds and sit up using support. |
| 10 months | babble and it resembles household language and can crawl |
| 12 months | baby can speak one word independently and can pull themselves up to stand using support |
| 24 months | They can form sentences and walk independently |
Causes of Global Developmental Delay:
- Environmental factors like drinking contaminated water or unhygienic habits of parents.
- Difficulties in pregnancy, medical or stress.
- Mother is exposed to toxins, drinking alcohol, smoking or passive smoking while conceiving a baby.
- Physical injuries in early childhood like accidents or throwing the baby in the air.
- Prenatal infections like meningitis, etc.
- Physical Neglect of a child.
- Deprivation of food and environment.
- Lack of oxygen in early childhood is like being exposed to an unhealthy environment.
- Premature birth.
- Genetic or hereditary conditions like Down syndrome.
- Metabolic disorders like phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Trauma to the brain, such as shaken baby syndrome.
- Severe psychosocial trauma.
Therapies that can help children.
Occupational Therapy
This can address fine motor skills, sensory processing and self-help issues.
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech therapy is typically used to address problems in the areas of understanding and producing language and speech sounds.
Early Childhood Special Education
Early childhood special education provides stimulation for early developmental skills, including play skills.
Behavioural therapy
This may be needed in some children for behavioural difficulties that affect socially appropriate behaviors.
Conclusion.
Early diagnosis and providing the right treatment to the child at the right time can help them attain their full potential and will help them avoid issues in adulthood. There are similarities between autism and GDD, it is important to go to a specialist and child should get proper attention. If not treated at earlier stage it can also cause ID. (Intellectual Disabilities)
REFERENCES:
Health, written by N. (2021, August 31). Understanding global developmental delay (GDD) in children. Narayana Health Care. Retrieved January 13, 2023, from https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/understanding-global-developmental-delay-gdd-in-children/.
Developmental delay: Causes, symptoms, & therapies. Causes, Symptoms, & Therapies | SSM Health. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.ssmhealth.com/cardinal-glennon/developmental-pediatrics/developmental-delay.