What Are Developmental Delays in Young Children?
There are many different types of developmental delays in infants and young children. They include problems with: • language or speech • vision • movement — motor skills • social and emotional skills • thinking — cognitive skills Sometimes, a delay occurs in many or all of these areas. When that happens, it is called “global developmental delay.” Global developmental delay may occur for any of the following reasons: • a genetic defect, such as Down syndrome • fetal alcohol syndrome, caused by a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy • fragile X syndrome, an inherited type of cognitive impairment • severe medical problems developing soon after birth, often associated with prematurity What follows are warning signs for different types of delays that may show up from infancy to age 2. You will also learn about some of the causes of developmental delays and potential treatments.
