Delayed Milestones

As children develop and grow in the early stages of their life, they will be curiously exploring the world around them and receiving a high amount of visual, auditory, physical and cognitive feedback. All this sensory feedback is processed by the growing brain and in turn progress is made. Sometimes however, for whatever reason, a child may not develop as expected and therefore may need therapy to promote this development. An occupational therapist will be able to help develop the necessary skills needed for successful development.

Children develop at different rates, and no two children are the same, however over time there are generally accepted milestones that children should reach by certain ages. Children born prematurely tend to be late developments, and any unwanted or change in lifestyle or circumstance can also have a profound effect on childhood development. Alongside this, there may also be other reasons why your child is not developing at a certain level, therefore it is important to observe your child over a period of weeks to rule out any environmental factors that may play a part in development.

An occupational therapist can offer assessment and provide treatment to improve development across the changing life of a child. They would be able to assess a range of conditions, ages and abilities and offer a variety of treatment. If you feel that your child is not reaching the intended milestones below, then please contact our team immediately to arrange to see an occupational therapist on 0330 233 0888

Developmental Stages and how our Occupational Therapists can help:

Early Development (0 – 6 months, 6 – 12 months)
These early stages of life are vital for brain development.

Toddler and Early Infancy (12 – 24 months, 2 – 3 years old)
As a child grows and develops, they begin to learn, play and interact with the environment, strengthening the connections in their brain.

Infancy (3 – 5 years old)
Children begin to enter nursery and begin to socialise and interact more with the world around them.

Child (5 – 10 years old)
The beginning of school life can be quite a challenge for a child, these are the vital years which shape who the child becomes and how their skills develop and impact upon their day to day function.

Developing into Teenage years (10 – 15 years old)
As children begin to make the transition into teenage years and gain more independence, it is often now when previously managed difficulties become most apparent. Children who have been managing before may find life hard as they begin to live more independently.

Teenager (15 years plus)
Making the transition through teenage years and into adulthood is a very difficult time for any young persons' life and may result in physical, emotional or behavioural difficulties that affect how they function on a day to day basis.

How an occupational therapist can help a child with delayed milestones

Our occupational therapists have the skills and knowledge to help further the development of children who may be finding adapting to the world around them more difficult than others. We can offer a range of treatment and services to improve the development of your child.

If you feel that your child is not reaching these fundamental milestones, there may be an underlying cause behind this slow development and we recommend that you contact our team for an assessment. An occupational therapist will be able to provide the assessment at home, or in any one of our clinics, for further information please email office@otforkids.co.uk or call us on 0330 223 0888