Developmental Delay (ages 3-5)

Children ages 3 to 5 years old (Pre-K), who have a significant developmental delay that affects the child's attainment of normal developmental milestones in one or more of the following areas:

• gross or fine motor skills

• cognitive

• language

• social-emotional

• adaptive/ self-help skills

The child is continually behind in gaining the skills expected by a certain age.

Language and speech delays are the most common. With a speech delay, the child may stutter or have trouble saying words the right way. With language problems, the student may have trouble expressing themselves or understanding others.

Some Causes:

• Problems with a child’s tongue or the roof of their mouth, which makes it hard to form sounds and words

• Hearing loss. Kids who’ve had a lot of ear infections can have hearing problems.

• A learning disability

• A developmental disorder, such as cerebral palsy or autism spectrum disorder

Online Resources

Developmental Delays in Children | Understood - For learning and thinking differences

Developmental Delays in the Classroom (teach-nology.com)

Developmental or Special Education Preschool (verywellfamily.com)

Identify Developmental Delay In Your Pre School Classroom - BrightHub Education

HAR Clarifications

• A cognitive assessment must be completed to help differentiate between global (overall) delays and specific developmental problems.

• Academic development – emergent literacy skills must be assessed.

• If communication is delayed, both speech and language must be delayed.

• If motor development is delayed, ALL aspects of motor development must be delayed.

• Standardized assessments must not be used in isolation; there must be validation between measurements, observations, parent reports, developmental milestones, etc.

Required Evidence of a Disability

• Global Delay

  • Cognitive development and adaptive behaviors are delayed 1.5 standard deviations (SD) below the mean when compared with the standard score expected for chronological age (CA) (e.g., 22 points below the mean of 100).

OR

• Delay compared to a standard score in one or more of the following areas: Motor Development, Communication, Academic Skills, or Adaptive Behavior

  • Delays of 1.5 SD below a standard score (e.g., 22 points below the mean of 100) in one or more of the following areas:

    • Motor development - must include all: Fine, gross, sensory, and perceptual motor skills.

    • Communication – must include both: Speech and language.

    • Academic development – means emergent or pre-literacy skills

    • Adaptive behavior

OR

• Deviation from age expectations across settings, but data is inconclusive.

  • Describe the pattern(s) of learning that is significantly different from peers or age expectations.

Educational Practices

• Structured procedures and routines

• Incorporate activities in the daily routine that target gross and fine motor movement.

• Interventions will specifically target the area, or areas, in which the child is delayed.

Data Sources:

• Observation of student-focused on area of concern in natural environment.

• Medical and developmental history.

• Parent interview.

• Teacher reports/review of student work.

• Rating scales.

• Developmental checklists.

• Multiple assessment approaches:

  • Standardized testing.

  • Play assessment.

  • Parent/child interaction (e.g. Book reading and play).

  • Language sample.

  • Copying/drawing.

  • Dynamic assessment.

• Adaptive behavior skills.

Examples:

Observation, Documentation, and Reflection | Early Childhood Training and Technical Assistance System (hhs.gov)

Developmental Checklists: Birth through Preschool | LoveToTeach.org

• Assistive technology

• Occupational therapy

• Physical Therapy

• Adaptive Physical Education

• Speech services

• Vision Therapy

• Short instructional periods with frequent breaks

Global Delay:

• Clearly state how ALL data leads to the conclusion of significant global delays in all areas of development.

• Provide relevant historical evidence of global delays.

Delay compared to a standard score in one or more of the following areas:

• Clearly state how ALL data leads to the conclusion that the area(s) identified is significantly delayed when compared to average developmental expectations.

• Provide relevant historical evidence of delays.

Deviation from age expectations across settings, but data is inconclusive.

• Clearly state how ALL data leads to the conclusion that the student’s learning patterns are significantly different from age expectations affecting the student’s performance across various environments.

Is the child consistently not meeting the developmental milestones for their age?

How does the child socialize with adults and peers?