First Ever E-Magazine | December 2011 | www ... - Oshwal Centre

~ Global Developmental Delay ~Her progress was very slow and highly frustrating. Asparents, we were still of the belief that things wouldchange and she would be a t ypical child. Our lack ofunderstanding led to the development of anxieties andconfusion in her. To look at, no one would be any wiserof our daughter’s condition as she looked normal.Perhaps that was what we wanted to see as well.However having a third child and observing his normaldevelopmental progress brought home to us therealisation of the widening gap in our daughter’sdevelopment, compared to the norm.Between the ages of 3-5 and a half, she changed 3schools due to the fact they didn’t have the resources orknowledge to deal with her. Finally through a privateeducational psychologist assessment, we were referredto a small independent school that specialised in childrenlike our daughter. We visited the school and once shewas accepted, this was the point at which we finallyaccepted that this was to be a l ong-term condition withchallenges that may be life long.Our daughter settled down very well and gained in selfconfidenceand self-esteem. Her progress is still slow butshe is improving continuously and our goal is to make herindependent, self sufficient and happy.We found the educational and health system not to bevery helpful and b ecame disillusioned by it. It seems forconditions such as hers, it is a mine field even for theprofessionals so what hope is there for the layperson?Our daughter has never been given a diagnosis and socame under the umbrella of Global Developmental Delay.Through various assessments and reports, we are justbeginning to understand her condition. To summarisethese, our daughter has a sensory-based motor disorderwith a postural disorder and speech and language delay.She is a v ery happy child who gains information of theworld around via her senses particularly vision, smell andtouch.An Overview of Global Developmental DelayA Global Developmental Delay is a general term used todescribe a condition that occurs during the developmentalperiod of a child's life (birth to age 18). It is usuallycharacterized by lower intellectual functioning and isaccompanied by significant limitations in communication,self-care, home living, vocational, academic skills, leisure,health and safety).Global Developmental Delay has many different causeswhich ultimately affect the functioning of the centralnervous system (Trauma to the central nervous system,Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, genetic disorders, metabolicdisorders, etc).Common signs may include:• delayed acquisition of milestones: the child is late insitting up, crawling, walking• limited reasoning or conceptual abilities• fine/gross motor difficulties• poor social skills/judgment• aggressive behaviour as a coping skill• communication problemsMore informationMencapwww.mencap.org.ukChildren like her can learn but need the opportunity tolearn from non-traditional ways such as visual,kinaesthetic and through repetition, praise andencouragement. It needs understanding and patience onour part and an ability to see the world through her eyes.In spite of all the challenges we face and will continue toface, we feel blessed to have a beautiful and lovingdaughter who has taught us humility and acceptance thatevery child is special and have their own unique needs.Her progress may be slow and her accomplishmentssmall and she may require support for years to come butshe was given to us as a special child who plays aleading role in our lives.Oshwal News E-Magazine of the O.A.U.K. 21 December 2011 Edition