- Vision
- Speech or language
- Emotional or social skills
- Motor (movement) skills
- Cognitive (thinking) skills
Signs Your Baby is Suffering from Development Issues
IN THIS ARTICLE
As your baby is growing, you must keep in mind that all babies will develop in their own way. With that in mind, there are certain norms that you will want to have your baby follow. It is helpful to watch out for certain development issues in your baby. These issues could occur in their physical, mental, or emotional growth.
Learning More About Development Delays in Your Baby
There are different delays that you may notice in your baby or younger child. Some of these include issues with the following:
Some babies or children will have delays in just one of these areas, while others may have delays in some or all areas. Having delays in more than one of these areas is known as global developmental delay.
There are various reasons why global developmental delay may occur including the following:
- Fetal alcohol syndrome (this when the mother drinks alcohol while pregnant)
- Genetic defects (Down syndrome or other defects)
- Fragile X syndrome (this is inherited)
- Major medical issues after birth (usually happens with premature babies)
- Sometimes a cause isn’t found
When it comes to baby life, these issues can cause delays to occur. If you notice any of the following warning signs from the time that your baby is an infant until they are 2 years old, you should talk to their doctor about it.
Learning About Developmental Delays in Your Baby’s Speech and Language
There are many toddlers who will experience speech delays. In fact, these issues are one of the most common developmental delays found in toddlers. Speech is the way that your toddler forms their words. Language is the way they express and receive information.
There are various things that can cause speech and language developmental delays in your baby or child. Some of these include the following:
- Having a learning disability
- Being exposed to at least two languages
- Being neglected or abused
- Having issues with their muscles (usually this is known as dysarthria)
- Experiencing hearing loss (often caused by medications, genetic disorders, ear infections, or trauma)
- Having an autism spectrum disorder
- Sometimes a cause can’t be found
While developmental delays can be scary, as a parent, it is important to know that there are many types of treatment for your baby or child.
Some of the types of treatment that are available for speech or language developmental delays include the following:
- Communicating with your child more often (singing, talking, and encouraging them to repeat words or sounds)
- Reading to your baby or child daily
- Encouraging your baby or child to make noises or talk throughout the day, every day
- Getting your baby or child treatment if they have a middle ear infection
Newborn care and child care is important when it comes to speech and language developmental delays. If you notice any of the things mentioned below, you should talk to your baby or child’s doctor right away.
Some of the things that you might notice by 3-4 months of age include the following:
- Doesn’t babble
- Doesn’t respond to any loud noises
- Starts babbling but won’t imitate any sounds (by 4 months of age)
By 7 months of age, you might notice the following in your baby:
- Doesn’t respond to most or any sounds
By 1 year of age, you might notice the following in your child:
- Doesn’t say single words (for example, dada or mama)
- Doesn’t understand when you say certain words (for example, no or bye-bye)
By 2 years of age, you might notice the following in your child:
- Can’t say a minimum of 15 words
- Won’t say 2-word phrases (will imitate speech only)
- Won’t communicate their immediate needs with spoken words
If you notice any of these things with your baby or child, you should call their doctor to schedule an appointment or an assessment for any possible issues.
Learning About Developmental Delays in Your Child’s Vision
When talking about newborn care, you need to watch out for your child’s vision. Most babies will have blurry vision until they are about 6 months of age. After that, their vision will start to get better in both of their eyes. However, this doesn’t always happen. There are some vision issues that may arise.
Some of the things that may cause developmental delays in your baby or child’s vision include the following:
- Infantile cataracts (this is when their eye lens is cloudy)
- Amblyopia (this is called a lazy eye)
- Nearsightedness or farsightedness
- Refractive errors
- Strabismus (also known as cross-eyed)
- Retinopathy of prematurity (eye disease that can affect premature babies)
While these issues can occur, it is important to know that there are treatments that can help your baby or child with their vision developmental delays. Correcting these issues early on allows for the best results. Some of the treatments that your baby or child might need include the following:
- Glasses
- Surgery
- Eye patches
Now that you know more about the things that cause vision developmental delays and the treatments for these delays, you should watch out for the following signs in your baby or child.
By the time your baby is 3 months old, you might notice the following issues:
- Doesn’t follow objects that are moving with their eyes
- Doesn’t notice their hands (they should notice this by 2 months of age)
- Has difficulty moving their eyes in any or all direction
- Crosses their eyes the majority of the time
By the time that your baby is 6 months of age, you might notice the following issues:
- At least one of their eyes is turned out or in all of the time
- Experiences chronic eye drainage or tearing of the eyes
- Won’t follow objects near them (within 1 foot away) and/or they won’t follow
- objects that are farther away (6 feet or more away) with both of their eyes
If you have noticed any of the symptoms of vision developmental delays in your baby at these ages, be sure that you talk to an ophthalmologist to have your baby’s vision evaluated.
Learning More About Developmental Delays in Your Baby’s or Child’s Motor Skills
Many of the developmental delays with motor skills are with a baby’s or child’s gross motor skills. These include things such as walking or crawling. Other developmental delays could include the fine motor skills which includes things such as grasping a spoon or using the fingers to hold something.
Some of the causes for developmental delays in motor skills include the following:
- Premature birth
- Ataxia (this is a defect that will impair coordination of the muscles)
- Cognitive delays
- Cerebral palsy (a brain damage condition that happens while in the womb)
- Vision issues
- Myopathy (a muscle disease)
- Spina bifida (genetic condition that causes some level of paralysis for the lower section of the baby’s or child’s body)
To implement proper newborn care with these developmental delays, it is important to know the treatment options that are available. Some of these treatments include the following:
- Encouraging physical activity more often
- Participating in regular physical therapy
- Participating in occupational therapy
Now that you know more about the causes and treatments for this type of developmental delay, you should learn more about the signs of these delays, as well.
By the time your baby is 3-4 months of age, you might notice the following:
- Doesn’t grasp, hold, or reach for objects
- Doesn’t support their own head very well
- Doesn’t bring any objects to their mouth (they should be doing this by the time they are 4 months old)
- Doesn’t push their legs or feet down onto a flat surface (they should be doing this by the time they are 4 months old)
By 7 months of age, you might notice the following in your baby:
- Has floppy or tight and stiff muscles
- Flops their head when they are put into a seated position
- Reaches out with only one hand and won’t reach for objects on their own very often
- Has difficulties bringing objects to their mouth
- Won’t roll over (they should be doing this by the time they are 5 months old)
- Can’t sit on their own without assistance (they should be doing this by the time they are 6 months of age)
- Can’t bear weight on their legs without someone pulling them into a standing position
By the time your child is 1 year of age, you might notice the following:
- Can’t crawl
- Drags one part of their body when they crawl
- Can’t stand when they are being supported
By the time your child is 2 years of age, you might notice the following:
- Can’t walk (they should be doing this by the time they are 18 months of age)
- Doesn’t put their heels to their toes or they only walk on their toes
- Can’t push a toy that has wheels on it
If you notice any of these signs, you should talk to your baby or child’s doctor as soon as possible.
Learning More About Developmental Delays in Emotional and Social Areas
Some children will develop emotional and/or social developmental delays.
Some of the causes for these types of delays include the following:
- Cognitive delays
- Parent or institutional neglect
- Attachment issues or parenting issues
- Sometimes a cause is not known
- Autism spectrum disorder
There are different types of treatment for these types of developmental delays. These include the following:
- Medications could help ease some behaviors
- Certain skill-oriented or behavior-oriented therapies may help
Early treatment of these developmental delays will be the most effective and help your baby or child to progress the most.
There are certain signs that you might notice with social and/or emotional developmental delays.
By the time your baby is 3 months of age, you might notice the following:
- Doesn’t smile at anyone
- Doesn’t notice new faces or may get frightened by new people
By the time your baby is 7 months of age, you might notice the following:
- Doesn’t show enjoyment when around anyone
- Doesn’t show affection for their parents or other caregivers
- Doesn’t cuddle
- Can’t get calmed down at night (this should happen by 5 months of age)
- Won’t smile without being prompted to do so (this should be happening by 5 months of age)
- Won’t squeal or laugh (should be doing this by 6 months of age)
- Won’t show interest is games like peek-a-boo (they should be doing this by 8 months of age)
By the time your child is 1 year old, you might notice the following:
- Doesn’t do certain gestures such as reaching, pointing, or waving
- Doesn’t do certain back-and-forth sounds or facial expressions (they should be doing this by 9 months of age)
If you do notice any of these signs of developmental delays in the social and/or emotional areas, you should talk to your baby’s or child’s doctor as soon as possible.
Learning More About Developmental Delays in Your Baby’s or Child’s Cognitive Functions
It is important to know there are different reasons for cognitive (thinking) developmental delays in babies and children. Some of these include the following:
- Significant medical issues before the birth
- Genetic defects
- Neglect
- Exposure to harmful environments (toxins, for example)
- Learning disabilities
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Lead poisoning
- Down syndrome
- Any genetic disorder
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Severe health issues as a newborn
- Sometimes there is no cause known
It is important to know about the treatments available for cognitive developmental delays. Some of the available treatments include the following:
- Educational interventions
- Therapy (behavioral or play therapy)
You may notice certain signs of cognitive developmental delays in your baby or child
Some of the things that you may notice by the time your baby is 1 year of age include the following:
- Won’t search for hidden objects that were hidden when they were looking
- Won’t use any gestures (waving, for example)
- Won’t point to pictures or objects
By the time your child is 2 years of age, you may notice the following:
- Doesn’t know what certain common objects do (for instance, a spoon or hairbrush)
- Doesn’t follow basic instructions
- Won’t imitate words or actions
If you are noticing these signs in your child, be sure that you talk to their doctor about the next steps to take.
Keep in mind that every baby and child will develop at their own individual rate. However, you should watch out for the above-mentioned signs of the various developmental delays. If you have any concerns about developmental delays in your baby or child, talk to their doctor right away.
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