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Tips for Parents of a Developmentally Delayed Child

October 2009

Dealing effectively with developmental delays depends on early detection and evaluation

It’s safe to say that one of the top concerns for most parents of young children is that their kids progress academically en route to building a good life for themselves and their future family.

So what should parents do when their child isn’t developing as expected, or consistently demonstrates an inability to succeed in school, particularly in the early grades? How do they determine whether their child’s poor performance is merely a “stage” that they’re growing through or something more serious, such as developmental delay, that requires attention and action?

According to Kyla Boyse, a Registered Nurse in the University of Michigan Health System, “developmental delay” is a situation in which a child does not reach their “developmental milestones at the expected times.” She describes it as an ongoing delay (major or minor) in a child’s ability to learn. Delays can occur with respect to language, social, thinking or motor skills.

Types of Learning Disabilities. Some forms of learning disability can be addressed by strengthening a child’s cognitive skills.

According to Learning Rx, a nationwide cognitive learning testing and training clinic that has a location in Chandler, the first step may be to understand the types of learning disabilities that may be affecting your child.

• Attention: The ability to stay on task in a sustained, selective, or divided way

• Working Memory: The ability to retain and process information for short time periods

• Processing Speed: The rate at which the brain handles information

• Long-Term Memory: The ability to both store and recall information for later use

• Visual Processing: The ability to perceive, analyze, and think in visual images

• Auditory Processing: The ability to perceive and conceptualize what is heard

• Logic and Reasoning: The ability to reason, prioritize and plan

If there are significant dysfunctions in any of these seven cognitive processes, your child probably has some type of learning disability.

For instance, according to Learning Rx, if “working memory” is deficient, your child may have a problem remembering instructions. If “auditory processing” is deficient, your child may have difficulty with reading and spelling. If “visual processing” is poor, your child may experience issues with maps, math story problems, and comprehension. If “logic and reasoning” are weak, difficulties may arise in problem solving, working with abstractions, or interpreting information. If the issue is poor “long-term memory,” it may be difficult for your child to recall dates, names and facts on tests. Some children may experience problems in more than one process category.

Other types of learning disabilities are more specifically defined, such as:

• Dyslexia: a reading disability (the student has trouble reading written words fluently)

• Dysgraphia: a writing disability (the student has difficulty with forming letters and legibility)

• Dyscalculia: a math disability (the student struggles with math problems and concepts)

• Dyspraxia: a motor coordination disability (also known as Sensory Integration Disorder)

• Dysphasia: a language disability (the student has difficulty with reading comprehension)

• Aphasia: a language disability (the student has difficulty understanding spoken language)

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder: a sensory disability related to processing sounds

• Visual Processing Disorder: a sensory disability related to processing images

• Non-Verbal Learning Disorder: a visual-spatial disability related to body control

Early Detection. Signs of delays in development often become noticeable during the first three years of the child’s life. The sooner a delayed child gets early intervention, the better their progress will be. While the ultimate diagnosis of developmental delay is generally made by a doctor, you are most likely to be the first to notice that your child isn’t keeping up. If you have a concern in this area, talk with your pediatrician.

Evaluation. Ask your school system to evaluate your child, even if your child is a baby, toddler or preschooler. You can also have your child tested again privately, but check with your school district first to make sure they will accept the private test results. If testing shows your child has developmental delay, the school system will start your child in either an early intervention or a special education program, depending on your child's age.

Early Intervention. Every state has an early intervention program that you will want to get your child into right away. In Arizona, various State agencies offer services that may be of value to developmentally delayed children. For a partial listing, visit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (www.nichcy.org) and click on State Agencies > State-Specific Information.

Special Education. Special education means “educational programming designed specifically for the individual,” and it can really help your child do better in school. If your school-aged child qualifies for special education, they will probably have an Individualized Education Plan ( IEP) designed just for them.

As your child gets closer to adulthood, they will likely need an IEP transition plan. Transition planning generally begins around age 14 and is part of the IEP every year after that. At about age 16, planning will begin for how your child will transition from school into the community. The goal is for your child to become as independent as possible. Your child should take part in the planning, because their input will help make the plan more successful.

Recommended Reading. Kyla Boyse recommends a number of online and printed resources for parents who are concerned about their child’s development, including:

• Teaching the Young Child with Motor Delays: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, by Marci Swanson and Susan Harris. This book is a useful guide in choosing development tasks to work on with your delayed child. It contains a lot of detail on breaking down large developmental goals into small, attainable steps. There is a large section devoted to outlining "objectives", giving suggestions on how to attain them, and examples of rewards. Uses clear and detailed examples.

• When Your Child Has a Disability: The Complete Sourcebook of Daily and Medical Care, Revised Edition, by Mark Batshaw. A useful book to read and keep as a reference. Covers a wide range of medical and educational issues, as well as daily and long-term care requirements of specific disabilities. Discusses parent concerns like behavior, medication, and potential complications. Also addresses issues such as prematurity, early intervention, legal rights, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, genetic syndromes, and changes in health.

Impact on Estate Planning. It is common for parents of developmentally delayed or otherwise challenged children to provide financial support for their kids. To ensure that the support continues beyond the lives of the parents, many families use a “special needs trust,” an estate planning tool that enables a person under a physical or mental disability, or an individual with a chronic or acquired illness, to have, held in trust for his or her benefit, cash and other assets. For information on a special needs trust, contact Ron Adams at 480-345-8845.

Hoopes, Adams & Alexander, PLC, is a Chandler, Arizona, law firm offering services to Phoenix-area clients in the areas of estate planning, entity formation, commercial and real estate transactions, and civil litigation.