Do you ever think that maybe your child isn’t meeting their milestones and told to wait it out? Global Developmental Delay (GDD) is when a toddler is experiencing significant delay in their physical, cognitive, communication, social, emotional, or adaptive development compared to other children of the same age. Understanding early signs of GDD might help parents seek the early intervention support that their toddlers needs and helps them thrive by the time they reach school age.
The criteria that the National Disability Insurance Scheme uses for global developmental delay is:
1. Significant delay in two or more developmental domains:
This may include gross/fine motor skills, speech/language, cognition, social/personal interactions, and activities of daily living.
2. Performance significantly below age expectations: The child is unable to meet developmental milestones.
3. The delay is observed before the child turns 5 years old: GDD is usually experienced in preschool-aged children.
4. The delays are not due solely to a physical impairment: Though physical impairments may be present, they do not solely account for the developmental delays.
5. Consideration of differential diagnosis: The child’s developmental delays cannot be better explained by another condition, such as a genetic disorder.
If you think this could that this is your child, see your GP with your concerns or contact organisations such as the Benevolent Society.