Children experiencing global developmental delays have lags in the developmental milestones that pediatricians have set as the norm for their age group. For example, most children begin to speak and walk around 12 months, but a child with a delay may still be crawling and uttering only simple sounds instead of whole words. Pediatricians set these norms to help identify children who would benefit from early intervention, because the sooner treatment is started, the more effective it is.
If a child is identified by his pediatrician as having a developmental delay, the child will usually be referred to neurologists and geneticists to make certain that a physical cause is not responsible for the delay. Once physical issues are either ruled out or medically treated, the child may also see a psychologist, speech pathologist, and physical and occupational therapists. If the child is identified through his school system, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be written.
A child over the age of five who experiences developmental delays often has an IEP, which is a special document that sets out goals for the student in various domains --- academics, communication, independent functioning and socialization. The IEP is designed to help the student access learning in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This gives students with disabilities the maximum time with non-disabled peers while maintaining IEP goals. An IEP legally protects and ensures that a child will receive an education appropriate to her ability level.
An IEP is written by a team that includes an administrator, a special education teacher, a regular education teacher and the child's parent or guardian. The team may also include a parent advocate, a speech language pathologist, and physical and occupational therapists, if the team feels that the child would benefit from these special services. Often these services are meant to supplement medical treatment, and if the child is in private therapy as well, the IEP team will consider notes from the child's private therapists when writing the IEP.