Mental health articles

Factors that cause developmental delay Developmental delay is when an infant does not meet developmental milestones
at an expected age, even with a wide variability of the normal range. Delay may
occur in four main areas: motor, fine and gross; language and communication;
adaptive/personal and social; and cognitive. Infants who are born with specific
syndromes and diagnosed conditions may be delayed in any or all areas of
development to varying degrees.

In the majority of developmental delays or disabilities, specific genetic defects
have not been identified but there is increasing acceptance that genetic factors
are involved in many cases of delay. Three categories of risk have been identified
(Tjossem, 1976):
• established risks are medical disorders, such as Down’s Syndrome, with
known association with developmental disorder
• environmental risks encompass limited social and experiential opportunities,
and poor quality family interactions (see Chapter 3 for discussion of these risk
factors)
• biological risks include potentially noxious ante-natal and post-natal events,
for example, infection, peri-natal asphyxia and sensory impairments.
Infants may be exposed to more than one risk factor, with a subsequent
increase in risk of development delay.