One page summary: Developmental delay after a birth injury

In two sentences

Developmental delay means a child is reaching skills such as sitting, walking, or talking later than most children their age. It is a description, not a diagnosis, and it does not tell you the cause. ¹

The most useful thing to know is that you can refer your own child for a free evaluation today. Federal law entitles a child under 3 with a suspected delay to an evaluation at no cost to the family, and you do not need a doctor's referral or a diagnosis. ²

The numbers, with their sources

• What the milestones mean. The current AAP and CDC milestone set uses skills that 75 percent or more of children have reached by that age, so a missed milestone is a reason to act rather than to watch ³
• Who can refer. A parent can refer their own child to early intervention directly. No doctor referral and no diagnosis is required ²
• The federal timeline. After a referral, the evaluation and, if the child is eligible, the initial plan meeting must happen within 45 days ²
• Cost to families. Evaluation and assessment under Part C are provided at no cost to families ²
• Corrected age. For a baby born early, milestones are judged from the due date rather than the birth date for the first two years ⁴
• Why not to wait. Evidence supports starting intervention as soon as a child is identified as high risk rather than waiting for a confirmed diagnosis ⁵

What to do this week

1. Refer to early intervention today if your child is under 3, or to the school district if 3 or older. Use the early intervention finder.
2. Book hearing and vision testing.
3. Write down what you are seeing, with dates and examples. The milestone tracker does this and prints.
4. Work out your child's corrected age if they were born early, and use it.
5. Ask your pediatrician what workup they recommend and why.
6. If your child has lost a skill they had, say so clearly. That specific phrase changes the urgency.

Questions to take with you

Take these with you. Write the answers down in the moment, because you will not remember them later.

For the pediatrician

• Which areas of development are delayed, and by how much?
• What is the workup you recommend, and what would each test change?
• Have hearing and vision been formally tested?
• Have you referred us to early intervention, or should I refer myself?

For the developmental pediatrician

• Is this delay in one area or global?
• What is the likely cause, and what would confirm it?
• Should we do genetic testing?
• What would you expect over the next year?

For the early intervention team

• What are the two goals we are working on right now?
• Can services happen at home or at daycare?
• What should we practice between visits?
• How do we prepare for the move to the school district at age 3?

You can also build a printable list with the question generator.

Where to read more

The full page on this condition covers how it happens, causes split into what happens even with perfect care and what is associated with gaps in care, signs by age, diagnosis, treatment, outlook, daily life and lifetime cost.

Read the full page on Developmental delay after a birth injury

Related pages are listed at the bottom of it, including the events that can lead to this condition and the guides that cover therapy, school and money.