Resources & Support for Preschoolers with Developmental Delays

Once you have determined that your preschooler does in fact have a developmental delay, you need to know how best to support them. In most states, there are free resources available to young children with developmental delays, but many people do not know that until they need to know it. Here is a list of resources and support that you can utilize for your preschooler with developmental delays.

SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS

When a child with good hearing struggles with expressing themselves or is difficult to understand, they may have a speech and/or language delay. Speech is the way in which you verbally express yourself and language is the giving and receiving of information.

If your child has a speech or language delay they will be referred to a speech-language pathologist (SLP), also known as a speech therapist, for support. The speech-language pathologist will work with your child to improve their speech and language skills through play, conversation, books, and repetition. They will also show you how you can help support your child at home. Here is a list of the ways that your child’s SLP is able to help.

• Articulation
• Expressive language
• Listening skills
• Fluency/stutters
• Social language
• Educating the parent on how to best help the child

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS

Children who have not reached or reach their physical development milestones much later than their peers have a physical development delay. These children may have trouble with fine or gross motor skills, or both. Fine motor skills involve the small muscles of your fingers, hands and wrists. Gross motor skills involve the large muscles in your body such as the muscles in your arms, legs, and torso.

If your child is diagnosed with a physical developmental delay they will be referred to an occupational therapist (OT). The occupational therapist will empower your child to participate in the daily activities that they both need and want to do using a holistic approach. Here is a list of the ways that your child’s OT can help.

• Develop fine motor skills
• Improve hand-eye coordination
• Building independence
• Balance
• Coordination
• Strength

PHYSICAL THERAPY

If your child is diagnosed with a gross motor physical development delay they may also be referred to a physical therapist (PT). The goals of a physical therapist and that of an occupational therapist overlap so much that they sometimes work alongside each other. Your child’s Physical therapist will use activities and exercises to help your child reach developmental milestones involving gross motor skills. Their PT can help with the following.

• Strength
• Range of motion
• Endurance
• Gross motor skills
• Coordination
• Balance

SOCIAL SKILLS THERAPY

Social and emotional development begins when a child is an infant, but when that development is delayed they struggle with social interactions, self expression, and developing a sense of self-esteem. Your child may have a social-emotional developmental delay if they are not reaching their developmental milestones, such as taking turns, understanding “his” and “hers”, and playing pretend.

Lacking key social skills can make it difficult to make and keep friends. If your child is diagnosed with a social-emotional developmental delay there are several options, including social skills therapy. In social skills therapy your child will be working on the following skills.

• Initiating conversations
• Maintaining conversations
• Sharing
• Taking turns
• Asking for help
• reading and responding to body language

Young children with developmental delays that are caught early have a high chance of being able to catch up with their peers. These resources help educate parents on how to best support their children at home, as well as doing more focused work with the child.