Global Development Delay Fact Sheet

Today is Global Developmental Delay Awareness Day. It is recognized the year on the first Friday during the month of May.

What is Global Developmental Delay (GDD)?

Global Developmental Delay is an umbrella term used when  children are significantly delayed in their cognitive and physical development and do not meet their developmental milestones in one or more of the development categories. the diagnoses is often used for children under the age of 5 years who are unable to meet benchmarks in intellectual functioning. It is also used when children are not diagnosed with a specific disorder of disability. There are some cased where children may be identified to have a disability however, the type of disability may not be known during the early onset of the disability.

Parents are typically the first to notice their child is not reaching milestones. as professionals, we should equally pay attention when children appear to be delayed in the area of motor, cognitive, speech and social and emotional development and bring it to the attention of parents so the child can be evaluated.

Click below to receive a free copy of the Global Developmental Delay Fact Sheet

Global Developmental Delay Fact Sheet

 

For Many With Autism, Running Is A Sport That Fits

Published By: Runners World
Written By: Alison Wade

Tommy Des Brisay had an insatiable need to move when he was a child.

He began walking at 8 months old. He would bounce on his backyard trampoline for hours and climb heights fearlessly. He slept only three hours a night until he was 7. As he grew older, he would go on long tandem bike rides, cross-country ski, and lead his father on walks that would leave them stranded miles from their home in Ottawa, Ontario.

And when he was stressed or upset, Des Brisay—who was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 and a half—would run. This posed a danger, because he didn’t understand what could harm him: traffic, exposure to weather, strangers. Click here to read the rest of the story

Global Developmental Delays

Global developmental delays describes when children do not meet their developmental milestones. Generally from the age of 2 months to 5 years old. Although each child is different in their development, milestones are established in order to determine functional skills on age specific tasks.

Delays can occur in the following area:

Gross motor- Involves the use of larges muscle groups such as walking, crawling and standing. May impact children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Fine Motor- Small movement in the fingers used for drawing, painting, buttoning, coloring, and shoe tying.

Speech and language delay- A delay in language may be due to motor-oral problems.

Cognitive- Delays can be caused by, infections, ,metabolic, toxic, trauma, and chromosomal abnormalities (Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, etc.)

Social/Emotional Skills- Shows signs of delay in responding and interacting with other people. Common cause may be autism spectrum disorder

The following articles provide information on understanding global developmental delays:

6 things I’d tell the parent who just heard the word ‘Global Developmental Delay’

Causes and symptoms of developmental delays

Developmental delays and disabilities

Global Developmental Delay

How a child develops

Recognizing developmental delays in your child

Types of developmental delay in children

Understanding developmental delays

What causes developmental delay?

What you need to know about developmental delays