Children with delayed development are those who do not develop according to their age compared to normal children. They may have delays in all areas or only in some areas. Abnormalities that cause delayed development can arise from various factors, both internal and external, such as genetics inherited from parents, the mother’s poor health during pregnancy, difficult delivery, the child’s health after birth, and complications after birth, including improper care and nutrition. Additionally, if the child has physical abnormalities, it can also affect their behavior.
Understanding Your Child’s Development
Delayed development in children can be observed by comparing their age with the developmental milestones appropriate for their age group, divided into 4 main areas:
- Gross motor skills: The ability to move, such as whether your child can use their body to move, like sitting, standing, walking, running, jumping, climbing, or riding a bicycle.
- Fine motor skills: The ability to use hands for various activities, such as grasping, writing, and self-care tasks like dressing and buttoning clothes.
- Language: Understanding and using language and gestures. For example, a 1-year-old child should be able to understand simple one-step commands and use single words to communicate.
- Emotional and social skills: The ability to interact with others, play with friends, join groups, and follow social rules and norms.
How to Observe Your Child’s Development at Each Age
Abnormal signs that parents can easily notice by comparing with the expected developmental milestones include:
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- At 1-2 months: The child does not respond to sounds.
- At 6 months: Does not roll over, does not make babbling sounds.
- At 9 months: Does not sit up by themselves, does not show emotions or play happily with others.
- At 12 months: Does not communicate with gestures, shows no interest in people.
- At 18 months: Does not walk, does not understand simple commands.
- At 2 years: Does not know how to play, speaks fewer than 50 words.
- At 3 years: Speech is not understandable to others, does not speak in useful sentences.
- At 4-5 years: Does not play in groups with friends, does not engage in pretend play or dress-up.
How to Know if Your Child Has Delayed Development?
4 easy ways to observe abnormal signs that cause delayed development that parents can notice, besides the observations mentioned above, include external characteristics that parents can see:
1. Hearing
At around 6 months of age, parents should observe whether their child can turn their head toward the direction of a calling sound. If the child does not respond to sounds around them, such as not turning, not startling, or not reacting to loud noises, this may indicate a problem. Another case is when the child responds with abnormally loud voices, responds slowly (e.g., takes a long time to respond when called), has difficulty understanding speech, does not understand commands, or cannot pronounce simple words.
2. Vision
If your child has delayed development, you can observe their eyes. Abnormalities include widely spaced eyes, crossed eyes, or outward turning eyes. If the reflection of light from the pupil appears white, it indicates an abnormality behind the pupil. Vision problems can also be noticed if the child seems to have blurry vision, cannot focus on objects, rubs their eyes frequently, does not follow people or objects with their eyes, often brings objects very close to their eyes, or when playing or stimulating eye movement with moving objects, the child’s eyes move erratically without steady focus or avoid eye contact. These may indicate some abnormalities.
3. Body Movement
Children with abnormal development may have uneven arm or leg length, fingers that are stuck together, or abnormal body movements. You can easily observe whether your child can stand, walk, and move steadily. If the child shows unusual weakness, stiff arms or legs, making movement difficult, they may favor one side of the body more than the other, appear lethargic, lack enthusiasm, or be unable to control their torso to maintain balance when being held.
4. Behavior and Expression
Aggressive or excessively hyperactive behavior, avoiding eye contact, lack of concentration, or disinterest in ongoing activities, showing more interest in objects than interacting with others, or not showing interest in or wanting their parents, are signs to consult a doctor for diagnosis and to plan treatment and developmental support for your child.
Parents can start promoting their child’s development by, for example, limiting screen time such as TV, games, or mobile phones, as these provide little benefit and are one-way communication, causing the child to sit still without movement, thinking, or hands-on activity. Importantly, parents should spend time doing activities that promote development, which will benefit the child more.
