It is relatively easy to detect growth retardation due to the curves of height and weight, detect delayed intellectual development requires consultation with a specialist. To identify the warning signs can implement as soon as possible an appropriate treatment.
To each his own pace of development
Parents tend to compare their child's development than other children. But children do not develop at different rates. This is not because the girl of your best friends can read in five years, while yours the same age is not yet able, need to worry. Each child progresses at their own pace and the main thing is that its development is steady and consistent. As in the fable of the hare and the tortoise, the important thing is not to go fast, but to arrive in time.
When to see a specialist?
It is necessary to seek medical advice if your child has developmental delays or learning in several areas simultaneously: the coordination of movements, walking, speech, cleanliness, etc.. Indeed, if the delay in one area is most often linked to the peculiarities of the child, a delay in several areas to get your attention.
The mandatory visits are an opportunity for the attending physician to review all areas of development. For this reason, the timing of these visits must be scrupulously observed, as early diagnosis allows a rapid response and better treatment efficacy.
What are the signs of possible mental retardation?
There are several criteria that suggest a possible delay of intellectual development.
For example:
- the child shows little interest and curiosity about its environment and it responds poorly to the communication efforts of others;
- he has trouble concentrating for a few seconds, even on his toys;
- to eighteen months, he pronounces any word clearly;
- entrance age to kindergarten, it is still not clean and must wear diapers twenty-four hours out of twenty-four. At age three, most children do not need diapers at night.
Under certain circumstances (illness, psychological stress, for example), it happens that a child regressed in his development, skills acquired disappear. This decline is temporary and development resumes when these conditions eliminated.