“Is our child developing properly?”
As new parents, it’s easy to worry and wonder if your child is developing properly or whether there are any developmental delays or even developmental disorders to be concerned about.
In fact, the spectrum of what medicine would consider normal is very wide during the early stages of babyhood, and it only narrows over time, as the child grows. Just think of the astonishing differences you see among the babies you might know of within your own circle:
- Some babies are born with a tooth while others still have not grown any teeth by their first birthday.
- Some children start walking when they are nine months old, while others need longer, even up to eighteen months, to take their first steps.
- Some are able to speak like sports commentators at the age of two, while other children need more time to start speaking.
In the end, and despite all of these differences, most will develop into healthy and perfectly normal children. These differences we observe are to be found in all aspects of early childhood development: gross and fine motor skills, speech learning, cognitive and emotional development.
As a general rule, your paediatrician will support you and your child and evaluate their development during regular scheduled check-ups. Upon request, I offer to support these routine check-ups with an assessment and a consultation based on the developmental milestones reached by your child at different stages of their development.
