Developmental Delay
Definition
"Developmental Delay" is the term that that IDEIA uses for children aged three through nine years who have delays in physical, cognitive, communicative, social emotional, and/or adaptive development, and who, because of these delays, require special education. Each state is expected to specify a subset of the group outlined in IDEIA. Texas has named this category "Non-Categorical Early Childhood" and has specified that children who are eligible for special education service under this eligibility are those who are between the ages of three and five years and who have been evaluated as having Mental Retardation, Emotional Disturbance, Specific Learning Disability, or Autism.
Retrieved from: http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/non-categorical-developmental-delay/
Characteristics
Developmental delay occurs when a child has not reached developmental milestones by the expected time period. Developmental delays can occur in all five areas of development or may just occur in one or more of those areas. The five areas of development are: Physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social and emotional development, and adaptive skills. Growth in one area of development can affect growth in the other areas. This means that if there is a difficulty in one area (such as physical development), it may impact other areas (such as speech and language).
Retrieved from: https://do2learn.com/disabilities/CharacteristicsAndStrategies/DevelopmentalDelay_Characteristics.html
Accommodations and Modifications
Physical Development
- Plan daily physical activities, and take students outside to run, climb and jump around.
- Have students practice buttoning and unbuttoning, zipping clothes, and opening and closing a door.
- Use activities that involve cutting, pasting, drawing and writing.
- Model and use activities with drawing and writing tools.
- Use child-size tables and chairs in the classroom.
- Have a schedule for active and quiet times.
- Set a routine so student knows what to expect.
- Provide a visual schedule of activities that can be understood by the student (using photos, icons).
- Use a visual timer so student knows when an activity will be over and they can transition to the next task.
- Use age appropriate materials.
- Use short and simple sentences to ensure understanding.
- Repeat instructions or directions frequently.
- Ask student if further clarification is necessary.
- Keep distractions and transitions to a minimum.
- Teach specific skills whenever necessary.
- Provide an encouraging and supportive learning environment.
- Use large clear pictures to reinforce what you are saying.
- Speak slowly and deliberately.
- Paraphrase back what the student has said.
- Clarify types of communication methods the student may use.
- Identify and establish functional communication systems for students who are non-verbal.
- Reinforce communication attempts (e.g. their gestures, partial verbalizations) when the student is non-verbal or emerging verbal.
- Label areas in the room with words and pictures.
- Use sequencing cards to teach order of events.
- Provide puppets/pictures as props when using finger plays and songs.
- Develop a procedure for the student to ask for help.
- Point out consequences of the student’s behavior.
- Brainstorm better choice(s) with students.
- Use language to describe feelings and experiences.
- Put student’s feelings into words.
- Read books about feelings.
- Explain your reasons for limits and rules in language that students can understand.
- Model the benefits involved in cooperating.
- Use natural consequences when possible to reinforce cause and effect involved in a rule, request, or limit.
- Teach students words for important people and things.
- Find ways to practice personal care and self-help skills (using centers in the classroom).
- Provide opportunities for students to practice asking for help, feeding themselves, dressing, washing hands, toileting, and locating personal items.
- Provide materials that support self care such as child-size sink, toilet, coat rack, and toothbrushes.
- Teach and model rules and practices for bus safety, playground safety, staying with the group, and safety in the classroom.
- Teach students to provide personal identification information when asked.
- Teach and model procedures for dealing with potentially dangerous situations, including fire, severe weather, and strangers.
Resources
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Non Categorical Developmental Delay
http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/non-categorical-developmental-delay/
The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Students promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children (0-8) who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities. DEC is an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children (0-8) with disabilities and other special needs and their families. https://www.dec-sped.org/
Do2learn provides thousands of free pages with social skills and behavioral regulation activities and guidance, learning songs and games, communication cards, academic material, and transition guides for employment and life skills. https://do2learn.com/
Center for Parent Information and Resources
What you will find on the Parent Center Hub:
- Family-friendly information and research-based materials on key topics for Parent Centers
- Private workspaces for Parent Centers to exchange resources, discuss high-priority topics, and solve mutual challenges
- Coordination of parent training efforts throughout the network
- A twice-monthly e-newsletter with key topics, new resources, upcoming events, and materials to share with families
- Materials from Parent Centers themselves
Video:
Session 3: Children with developmental delays and disabilities, and atypically developing children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O-zJmsAmLo