How to Identify Early Signs of Developmental Delays in Your Child

Recognizing when your child may not be moving, speaking, acting, playing, or learning as expected for their age is the first step in identifying a developmental delay — and the first step toward getting essential early interventional care to help them thrive. 

You don’t need to wait for a scheduled visit with your pediatrician to find out how your child is doing developmentally, either. In this month’s blog, our team at THINK Neurology for Kids explains how developmental monitoring can help you spot a potential problem early.

A short tutorial on milestone monitoring

From infancy through the age of five, every well-child visit at your pediatrician’s office includes developmental monitoring and screening, or basic checks to ensure your child is reaching typical milestones associated with their age. These checks happen at: 

• Two, four, six, and nine months
• 12, 15, 18, 24, and 30 months
• Three, four, and five years of age

Universal developmental monitoring happens in early infancy, through six months of age. Starting at your baby’s nine-month wellness visit, developmental milestones are monitored with more formalized screenings. 

You already look for typical milestones 

Developmental monitoring is the ongoing observation of how your child grows and changes from infancy to early childhood. Specifically, it’s whether they meet typical developmental milestones in learning, movement, behavior, speech, and play. 

You’re the best monitor of your child’s development

As a parent, you participate in developmental monitoring all the time without giving it much thought. For example, you noticed when your baby rolled over and smiled for the first time. 

You’re well-positioned to monitor your child’s developmental milestones, so knowing what to look out for is key; use the CDC’s Milestone Tracker app to eliminate any guesswork.

Developmental monitoring is all about progression

From your baby’s earliest well-child visits, their pediatrician asks “developmental monitoring” questions. At two months of age, for example, they ask if your baby: 

• Smiles when you talk or smile at them (social/emotional)
• Holds their head up when placed on their tummy (movement)
• Makes sounds other than crying (language/communication)
• Watches you; looks at a toy for several seconds (cognitive)

By four months of age, they ask if your baby:

• Smiles on their own to get your attention (social/emotional)
• Pushes up onto their forearms when on their tummy (movement)
• Makes sounds when you talk to them (language/communication)
• Opens their mouth when they see a bottle or breast (cognitive)

Developmental monitoring is all about seeing where your child is in relation to typical milestones, and observing their progression as they grow.

Developmental screenings: A closer look

Formal developmental screenings take a closer look at your child’s development at certain ages. These key screenings evaluate the same areas as regular developmental monitoring, but with a more exhaustive checklist of questions and observations.

Through a question-answer session with you and a few brief talk or play interactions with your child, screening evaluations assess developmental milestones in every growth area:

• Social and emotional capacity
• Communication and language
• Movement and physical ability
• Cognitive aptitude and learning

Your baby’s first developmental screening happens at their nine-month checkup. At this age, most babies can get into a sitting position by themselves, sit without support, look for objects that drop out of sight, look when they hear their name, act shy or clingy around strangers, and lift their arms to be picked up. 

Your child has two more developmental screenings at 18 and 30 months, along with screenings for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 18 and 24 months. If all is well, basic developmental monitoring resumes at subsequent wellness visits.  

Missed milestones or areas of concern

If a developmental screening reveals an area of concern or a missed milestone, it could be an early sign of a developmental delay. Your pediatrician may recommend a formal developmental evaluation with a specialist if your child’s development:

• Occurs noticeably slower than normal, overall
• Is consistently slow in one area (e.g., motor skills)
• Seems to stop moving forward or progressing 

When you bring your child to THINK Neurology for Kids for a developmental evaluation, our specialists take an in-depth look at your child’s development, checking for indications of: 

• Social delays (e.g., doesn’t seem to recognize familiar people)
• Fine motor delays (e.g., doesn’t transfer objects hand-to-hand)
• Gross motor delays (e.g., doesn’t bear weight on legs when supported)
• Communication delays (e.g., doesn’t babble; doesn’t reach for you)
• Cognitive delays (e.g., doesn’t respond to hearing their name)

In the United States, about one in six children (17%) has a developmental delay. Getting help as soon as possible is vital; early intervention care can make a world of difference for children who aren’t developing as expected. These tools help ensure your child has their specific social, emotional, behavioral, physical, and learning needs met as they grow. 

Developmental evaluations in Houston

Remember, you are in the best position to spot early missed milestones and potential developmental delays in your child. Be familiar with the milestones of each age, and don’t hesitate to contact our team or your pediatrician with any concerns. 

THINK Neurology for Kids in The Woodlands and Sugar Land Texas, as well as virtually anywhere in the state, provides world-class developmental care for children in the Houston area. 

Our expert team — including Shaun Varghese, MD, Cristina Marchesano, MD, Lorena Herbert, MD, Barbara Kiersz-Mueller, DO, Lauren Weaver, MD, Alicia Walls, MD, Sundeep Mandava, MD, Sherwin Oommen, MD, Robby Korah, FNP-C, Jennifer Duchaney, CPNP-PC, Tammy DeLaGarza, FNP-C, and Heather King, CPNP-PC — is always here to help.