What is Global Developmental Delay?
The term Global Developmental Delay, or GDD, is used when a child shows delays across several areas of development. It is a general term used to describe any delay in the developmental period of a child between birth and 18 years.
These delays must have continued for at least 6 months, and are usually accompanied by limited communication abilities.
GDD is believed to affect about 1-3% of the population.
A child with GDD is one who is considered to have significantly lower intellectual functioning than their peers.
To be diagnosed with GDD, the child must also be significantly limited in at least two developmental domains, including, gross motor, vision, and fine motor, communication (i.e. speech/hearing/language), and social skills.
Types of Global Developmental Delay
- Cognitive delay: Cognitive delay may affect the intellectual function of children, causing a decline in their ability to think, learn, and solve problems. The condition may also cause learning and comprehension and understanding delays and difficulties, which become evident when children start going to school or even earlier.
- Motor delay: Children with difficulty in fine and gross motor skills find it difficult to coordinate large muscles (arms and legs) and small muscles (hands).
- Socioemotional delay: Socioemotional delay affects the social and emotional skills of children, making it difficult for them to interact with others and communicate their thoughts and feelings.
- Speech and language delay: Children with delayed speech and language skills find it difficult to communicate with others and understand words and concepts.
- Adaptive delay: Children with adaptive developmental delay find it difficult to learn age-appropriate life skills (self-help skills). As a result, it becomes challenging for them to live an independent life.
Signs and Symptoms of Global Developmental Delay
There are many different signs and symptoms of delay that can exist in children and often vary depending upon specific characteristics. Sometimes you may see signs in infancy, but in other cases they may not be noticeable until your child reaches school age. Some of the most common symptoms can include:
- Learning and developing more slowly than other children 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
If there is an underlying medical reason that causes the developmental delay, identification and treatment of that condition may improve your child’s developmental skills.
Causes of Global Developmental Delay
- Being born prematurely
- Genetic conditions like Down syndrome or muscular dystrophy
- Poor eyesight or hearing
- Malnutrition
- Alcohol or drug use during pregnancy
- Physical abuse or neglect
- Lack of oxygen during delivery
- Exposure to more than one language — which can cause mild delays in toddlers but not delays by the time they reach school age
- A learning disability
- Child abuse or neglect
- A problem with the muscles controlling speech — a disorder called dysarthria
- Hearing loss, which may occur in children who have severe middle ear infections or occur as a result of certain medications, trauma, or genetic disorders
- Autism spectrum disorders — a group of neurological disorders that may involve impaired communication as well as impaired social interaction and cognitive skills
Treatment of Global Developmental Delay
A characteristic of those with GDD is that they display difficulties with gross and fine motor skills. Occupational therapists are able to help children develop better fine motor skills so they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting skills. They are also able to address hand-eye coordination, helping the child improve their play and school skills. Due to the limiting nature of their disability, children with GDD often feel frustrated or angry. Occupational therapy can help kids with GDD internalise and maintain positive behaviours in various different environments, and teach them how to regulate their socially inappropriate behaviour. Furthermore, children with GDD may also present with poor social skills and judgement. Therefore, occupational therapists are able to work with kids who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and social skills
Speech therapy and audiology – giving the child a voice.
GDD can result in delays or difficulties with communicating using language. Speech therapy can benefit the child as it aims to improve their speech and language skills, as well as oral motor skills. For those children who are able to talk, the therapist may work on making their speech clearer of building their vocabulary, teaching them to speak in longer sentences, or improve their listening and comprehension skills
Behaviour Therapy – actions speak louder than words.
Those with GDD have to cope with their disability from early on in life. As a result, many of them will develop negative behavioural traits, such as aggressive behaviours, poor tolerance, excessive frustration, or episodes of out-of-control anger. Behaviour therapy aims to correct antisocial and inappropriate behaviour by reinforcing and praising good behaviour, ignoring certain behaviours in an effort to not reinforce the behaviour, and developing consequences for other behaviours. Through therapy work, children with GDD will obtain the support and care that they need while learning how to function as a productive member of society.
Physical therapy – working it out together.
Children with GDD often show delays and difficulties mastering their fine and gross motor skills. As such, it is ideal for them to undergo physical therapy from an early age to enable them to develop and achieve important skills. In this manner, the child can start to build their motor abilities gradually and will learn to be physically independent and can better navigate their physical and social environments.
