Developmental Delays and Educational Success

–Delana H. Stewart

Have you noticed or have others commented to you that your baby, preschooler, or school-aged child is several months or more behind his peers? Does your son or daughter exhibit delayed motor skills, delayed speech, unusual mannerisms or obsessions?

Keys to Success

Early Detection

According to Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman, author of Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner, “early detection and intervention, while the brain has a great deal of plasticity, enables the development of new pathways. Any unusual developmental patterns should be assessed as early as possible, because early intervention is essential. Most corrective efforts should be put in place before a child is nine” (p. 187, Upside-Down).

Earlier Therapy

Dr. Silverman also states that for the possibility of greater improvement, therapy must begin early. First, she says to “obtain a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation to rule out all possibilities. Even if the diagnostician gives your child a label you disagree with forget the label and try the therapy to see if it helps” (p. 173). If your child is showing signs of delayed motor development, Dr. Silverman recommends getting corrective therapy before the age of eight (and again, the earlier the better). Too many parents assume their child will just catch up at some point.

Tagged: assessment, children, developmental delays, Early Childhood, education, Motor skills, Special needs, speech, sTherapy, testing, visual spatial learner, VSL

Posted in: Learning Styles and Brain Development, Pre-School and Kindergarten, Special needs, Speech and Language Development, Testing and Assessment