There are five main types of developmental areas: physical, intellectual, speech and language, social skills and self-care skills. Physical development includes both gross and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills include walking and crawling. Fine motor skills include picking up small objects with fingers and writing. Intellectual development skills include matching blocks and imitating body actions. Speech and language is the development and use of words. Social skills include smiling, engaging in pretend play and making eye contact. Self-care skills include chewing and swallowing food, the child's ability to feed themselves and using spoons and cups.
Each developmental area has it's own set of milestones that a child should reach by a certain age. For example, in gross motor skills a child may have a developmental delay if they are not able to roll over by seven months of age. Checklists are used to help identify developmental areas where the child may require additional assistance. The checklists are created for preschool children aged 0 to 5 years of age.
If you think your child may have a developmental delay contact your doctor to have your child tested. The doctors will talk and play with your child using age appropriate checklists to determine if your child has a developmental delay. The tests will help determine if your child needs the help of a specialist to develop one or more skills identified during the examination.
The earlier a developmental delay is recognized, the faster steps can be taken to help the child develop necessary skills to participate in school and beyond. If the child has been tested for developmental delays they may qualify for additional services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These services may include physical therapists, speech and language services, family training and counseling and medical services.