How to Address Developmental Issues

What are Developmental Problems? 

A developmental problem is a term used to describe an ongoing delay in a child’s developmental milestones for their age range. It is not uncommon for some children to have a brief delay or two. However, it becomes worrisome when a developmental delay affects a chain of ongoing developmental milestones. The milestone categories include language skills, cognitive skills, socioemotional skills, and motor skills.

There are many causes for these developmental problems, including:

• Birth trauma or distress, low birth weight, premature birth
• Drugs such as cancer or leukemia treatments in children
• Injury or harm in utero or after birth
• Maternal drug use or excessive alcohol consumption
• Poor nutrition
• Toxin exposure during pregnancy
• Inherited disorders
• Mental retardation
• Neurological causes such as premature birth
• Autistic spectrum disorders
• Down syndrome
• Degenerative disorders such as Rett syndrome
• Social or emotional deprivations
• Deafness, and many more.

Some developmental problems can be fixed or made better by addressing some factors. These problems are continuous and consistent, and they will not go away by themselves and may increase the risk of multiple potential complications, such as acceleration of disabilities, literacy and social adjustment problems in adulthood, behavioral problems, deterioration of abilities, low self-esteem, or depression. Therefore, it is important to consult a child development specialist for a proper assessment.

Some possible symptoms that may come with some major classifications of developmental problems include:

• Social skill symptoms: these instances may be best explained by dividing them into three categories: 
• Autism spectrum disorders:
• Absence of smiling, in early childhood 
• Excessively putting objects in rows, in early childhood
• Inability to find appropriate ways to express frustration, in later childhood
• Inability to know how to use toys, but the child may have an attachment to one object, in early childhood
• Inability to respond to his or her name, in early childhood
• Inappropriate social outbursts beyond the child’s control, in later childhood
• Poor eye contact, in early childhood
• Repetitious behaviors, in later childhood
• Resistance to hugs and affection, in later childhood
• Seeming indifference to others, in later childhood
• Significant language delays
• ADHD:
• Difficulty paying attention
• Impulsivity, acting, or talking without thinking first
• Inability to sit still or keep silent
• Oppositional-defiant disorder and similar disorders:
• The consistent pattern of defiance or disobedience
• Constant blaming, resentment, or anger
• Deliberate attempts to annoy others
• Disruptive behaviors
• Frequent loss of temper
• Vindictive, spiteful behaviors
• Language skill symptoms: 
• Apraxia (a disorder characterized by the inability to carry out purposeful movements that have been learned)
• Dyslexia (developmental reading disorder)
• Lack of babbling or other communication milestones of infancy
• Late or absent response to name
• A long delay in using words and sentences
• Stuttering
• Critical symptoms:
• Loss of consciousness, even for a brief moment
• Pale or blue lips, skin, or mucous membranes
• Rapid heart rate
• Seizure
• Severe difficulty breathing
• Signs suggesting the child is in danger of hurting self or others
• Signs that are suggestive of child abuse or neglect

How to Address Developmental Problems with the Caregivers

As an educator, we have a responsibility to keep a close eye on the development of our students. The moment a developmental delay is suspected, the teacher should consult a senior or the in-school specialist before informing the parent.

Prior to bringing the parent in for a meeting, the teacher should collect documentation of the data of the child’s development including the modifications that had been made for the child, prepare some outside resources, and a developmental checklist that compares the child’s development to their age-appropriate developmental milestones.

The teacher should plan out the conversation and should be careful to start with addressing the child’s strengths and encouraging the parents to share their observations, questions, and concerns. When the time comes, the developmental checklist would help the parent get a visual idea of the child’s development, and it helps the teacher get the conversation started. However, the teacher needs to be careful not to diagnose the child, or use jargon, acronyms, and labels.

The teacher should be honest, kind, respectful, supportive, and calm when giving the information in a non-judgemental way. They should also be open to trying the parent’s suggestions.
If the parents disagree, the teacher should find out what the parents see their child doing in other situations, and agree to visit the issue again later.

Stressing the importance of early identification and intervention, teachers should refer the parents to other resources, and let them know that after the referral, they would be contacted to arrange for a professional screening or evaluation to determine whether they are eligible for an intervention program.

Teaching Strategies to Help Students with Developmental Disabilities

Strategies to Use in the Classroom

• Make use of visual signs such as boundary markers and keep materials in transparent containers.
• Create a clear and predictable schedule in a way that is understandable to all students.
• Motivate students by alternating preferred and less-preferred activities and involving them in the process. 
• Use strategies to make instruction and objectives clear and understandable by checking that you have their attention before delivering it in a way that the students can understand.
• Give students methodical opportunities to engage with each other by giving them simple strategies for social interaction, and by providing them with a peer buddy.
• Assist students to apply their learning in different settings and situations by teaching only one key skill at a time, and by keeping the other people involved in their education well informed about the student’s mastered skills.

Simple Strategies to Use to Help Develop Specific Skills

• Physical: 
• Plan simple and fun activities for times when they have the most energy, 
• Use strategies to make fine motor skills easier, 
• Provide opportunities for them to use gross and fine motor skills
• Let them practice motor skills through activities that require them
• Provide healthy and nutritious snacks and meals
• Give students blocks, clay, paper, pencils, crayons, safety scissors, play dough, and other manipulatives to use
• Cognitive:
• Give them time to work at their own pace
• Give very specific praises and feedback
• Demonstrate and have them follow one step at a time
• Be as concrete as possible
• Use visual as well as auditory instruction
• Let them have hands-on materials and experiences
• Create a buddy system
• Make a clear and consistent schedule and rules
• Explain instruction in simple sentences and repeat them frequently
• Keep distractions away from the learning environment.
• Language:
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Paraphrase what students say and say it back
• Encourage using verbal communication
• Label areas and things with words and pictures
• Model correct speech patterns and avoid correcting speech difficulties
• Incorporate the student’s interests into speech
• Identify and establish functional communication systems for students who are non-verbal
• Develop a simple procedure for the student to ask for help.
• Social and Emotional:
• Help them put their feelings into words
• Give them as many opportunities as possible to be in a social environment and for them to be more independent
• Implement appropriate rules and consequences in the proper way
• Keep the student involved in the process and provide them with love and support
• Explore feelings and appropriate behaviors through modeling and play
• Always be calm in the face of conflict and explain what happened in simple words 
• Point out consequences of the student’s behavior and use natural consequences when possible
• Adaptive Behavior:
• Explain everything related to daily living and self-care in simple steps and in explicit detail
• Use visual schedules and rules with pictures
• Teach skills that are relevant to the students and have them apply them outside the classroom
• Provide many opportunities to practice different skills
• Explain what to do in dangerous situations
• Minimize distractions and the possibility for over-stimulation
• Teach and model hygiene habits, rules, safety procedures, and other desired behaviors