Child Development
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Typical Development
Child development is a complicated science, and we are still on the frontier of Developmental Medicine. Using what we’ve learned so far, Pediatricians monitor development in the areas of gross motor (big movements), fine motor (small movements), speech and communication, problem solving, and social skills.
Read over our Well Visit Tip Sheets before your visit, or reference back to them between our visits.
Developmental Delays
The brain and body experience amazing and rapid growth during the first 3 years of life. When development doesn’t follow the typical pattern, pediatric providers will investigate whether the cause is a Delay, Difference, or Deficit.
Delay: A true delay describes a skill that will eventually catch up to the typical pattern. Speech delay is a common example: a baby may be late in talking, but eventually develops normal speech and communication skills.
Difference: This is neurodiversity; an alternate version of normal. ADHD and autism are examples of differences.
Deficit: This describes an absent skill or ability. Intellectual disability and physical disability are examples of deficits.
In many cases, a pediatrician can’t immediately define a delay, difference, or deficit. More testing and observation will be needed. Your pediatrician will also get your child into therapies as quickly as possible. Specialists such as Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Behavioral Specialists can be helpful before a full diagnosis is made, and will be able to refine treatments if specific diagnoses are made.
Neurodiversity … Autism, ADHD, more
One of our most recent discoveries has been called “Neurodiversity” - differences in social learning, problem solving, and communication. Everything we previously described as “normal” development in these areas is actually better described as “typical”. Many of the conditions we previously called “abnormal” are now called “atypical” or “neurodiverse”. The change in language is really important because atypical types of development aren’t necessarily wrong or abnormal, although they often require parents and teachers to use different strategies. Some of the best known examples of atypical development are ADHD and Autism. The irony is that atypical development is almost as common as typical development.
Children inherently desire to please their caregivers, or at least to meet the expectations set for them by those caregivers. Neurodiverse children usually work harder than the kids around them, but will struggle the most to meet expectations or please the grown-ups in their lives. Likewise, parents often feel inadequate when parenting neurodiverse children, despite working much harder than parents around them. It’s important to recognize neurodiversity as early as possible to prepare and equip children and caregivers for the challenges of childhood.
Many caregivers are intimidated by diagnoses of Autism, ADHD, and other behavioral concerns. Autism can be identified as early as the first year of life, or as late as elementary school. ADHD can be seen as early as preschool, through late elementary school. In both of these conditions, signs may be present early, but not cause problems for the child or parents until adolescence or young adulthood. American culture is a significant roadblock for families with neurodiversity, especially impacting a child’s learning environments. The first interventions for any behavioral concern should target the home and school (or daycare) environments. Specialists who can help, including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Psychosocial Therapy - your pediatrician can help identify the providers who will help your family the most. It’s also important for parents to learn about Temperament, Executive Function, Learning Styles, and Love Languages. Visit our Resources for more information!
Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety in children is best described as really big feelings or thoughts that overwhelm a child. Depression is best described as the brain going numb, because it is too overstimulated. These conditions are often related to each other, and may be a result of genetics, trauma, or a combination of many small details in a child’s life. Our culture also makes management of anxiety and depression very difficult - access to screens and social media are some of the worst offenders.
School Concerns
Children spend a significant amount of time in school. More waking hours than with us on a typical school week! If children do not feel successful at school, their frustration will be felt in every aspect of their lives and relationships. Some people learn math, reading, or writing in a different way - not abnormal, just different! But sometimes, different s a disadvantage in the typical American classroom. It’s important to identify this difference early to make sure kids can learn in the ways that come natural to them.
A 504 Plan is a federally protected plan that is individualized for to each child. It is developed by teachers and counsellors, often with input from doctors and therapists. It is designed to help a child meet the typical educational goals, based on grade. These interventions are classified as accommodations (flexibility in how the work may be done) and modifications (changing how much or what type of work is done) to meet the typical goals.
An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is a special type of 504 Plan. This type of plan requires involvement from the Special Education Department, because it requires adjusting the typical educational goals (in addition to accommodations and modifications).
Behavior at Home
Parents love their kids, but parenting isn’t always fun. Parents can read every book, talk to everyone they meet, and still feel like a failure sometimes.
Perfection
One of the most important steps for improving your child’s behavior is to stop expecting perfection. Most people will automatically say “I don’t expect them to be perfect”, but is that reflected in your interactions with your child?
Teach
Once you’ve accepted imperfection, see yourself as the teacher. You will be the one that teaches them to control their emotions, wait their turn, take initiative, have integrity. Our goal is to help you feel ready to teach!
Check out this page of Back to School Tips. We’ll roll out more age-based information in the future!
Some excellent resources for parents:
1-2-3 Magic
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk