Delayed development in infants and young children often interferes with their daily lives and learning processes. However, what is infantile developmental delay? What are the reasons for delayed development in infants and young children? How to prevent and treat it? Let's learn together.
What is delayed development in infants and young children?
During infancy and early childhood, developmental delays are caused by issues with brain development that lead to delayed movement, cognition, language, emotions, and social skills. Children with Down syndrome and autism are actually special groups of people with developmental delays. Its main manifestations include the following five aspects:
1. Underdeveloped physical development
During the growth and development of infants and young children, their weight and height may deviate from their peers, mainly manifested as underweight or short stature. For some children with congenital developmental delay, there may be abnormalities in their facial appearance and body shape. For example, children with congenital idiocy may have widened eye distance, slanted eyes, or a collapsed nose bridge, and the tongue often dragging outside the mouth. For some children with hydrocephalus, there may be particularly large head circumference and small head deformities. For children with hypothyroidism, they may experience a particularly short stature. Children with phenylketonuria may experience symptoms such as abnormally white skin and particularly light hair color.
2. Delayed motor development
After a certain age, such as lying down, looking up, sitting, standing, walking, etc., these movements will be delayed compared to normal children of the same age, especially when walking is more obvious. They will not walk on their own until 3-4 or 4-5 years old, and they will not be able to walk steadily.
3. Language development delay
Normal children can imitate sounds at 7-8 months old, call 'mom and dad' at over a year old, have more words to say at one and a half years old, ask simple questions around 2 years old, and express their thoughts around 3 years old. If it is found that a child lags behind by four to five months or even 1-2 years before exhibiting the symptoms mentioned above, it can be seen as a signal of intellectual disability.
4. Delayed intellectual development
Children with delayed intellectual development often have difficulty feeding and sucking in the early stages, especially prone to spitting out milk. This situation indicates that the child's nervous system is damaged and their intelligence will be affected in the future. As the age increases, it gradually manifests as difficulty turning the head, dull expression, excessive sleep and difficulty being awakened, slow response to the outside world, delayed language expression, and delayed motor development.
5. Delayed psychological development
Children with delayed psychological development usually exhibit symptoms such as lack of concentration, irritability, irritability, slow response, poor memory, etc. They are generally not interested in toys.
What are the causes of delayed development?
1. Genetic reasons. The characteristics and physical fitness of children's growth and development are influenced by genetic factors from parents. Parents still need to create good external conditions for their children to maximize their growth potential.
2. Damage to nerves or organs. If children develop slowly in language, it may be due to hearing loss or problems with the mouth, throat, and other areas. If children experience communication barriers, it may be due to problems with the central nervous system.
3. Causes of illness. It may be caused by certain diseases, such as Down syndrome, chronic diseases, endocrine or skeletal disorders, etc. Parents should promptly take their children for diagnosis and treatment.
Prevention and treatment methods
1. Dietary establishment
Dietary establishment is a prerequisite for ensuring the healthy and strong development of newborns, especially breastfeeding, which plays an important role. Breast milk is a liquid that ensures newborns have sufficient nutrition, provides strong support for their immune system, and guarantees their overall healthy development.
2. Family Education
Family education and atmosphere are often one of the factors that determine the speed of a child's development. Parents should provide their children with sufficient support, respect each child's personality, educate, love, trust, and support their children's hearts, respect and create an independent and confident family atmosphere, which is important for their growth.
3. Early intervention
Early intervention refers to starting intervention in the early stages of a child's developmental delay, such as receiving relevant rehabilitation treatment at an early stage. Parents should consult doctors in a timely manner when their children experience developmental delays, receive rehabilitation treatment and early situational education, so that their children can receive the best treatment or assistance, and prevent their condition from worsening further.
4. Physical exercise
Moderate physical activity and exercise can enhance children's cardiovascular function and exercise system, help prevent obesity and reduce stress, and improve children's attention and learning abilities.
Delayed development is a serious condition in the process of infant development. If not detected and treated in a timely manner, it will have a significant impact on the child's life and learning. Therefore, parents should pay attention to the healthy development of infants and young children, take appropriate preventive measures, and ensure that their children grow up in a healthy and safe development environment.