This is a commoon catch-all diagnoses for children who demonstrated delayed develpoment and skill, but do not present with a known reason for the delay. Most funding sources view developmental delay as a valid diagnosis until age 7 or 8. By that age insurance companies want a more concrete reason for the delay if the child still has not caught up to his/her peers.
Disorders and diseases of the nervous system can cause many medical problems. The nervous system consists of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the periphereal nervous system (the nerves that innervate our muscles and skin). Nervous system problems can usually be traced to specific conditions, such as Muscular Dystrophy or a specific injury, such as spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury.
Problems with the structure of the body, the bones, can come from a variety of sources. Injuries can break bones and create disability if severe. Certain conditioins, such as scoliosis can also create disability if severe enough. Orthopedic treatments can focus on rehabilitation or they may focus on adaptive equipment to compensate for the disability.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a 'social' disorder where children often do not understand the roles between themselves and other people. The 2 most common PDD's are autism and Aspberger's Syndrome. Social problems can lead to many delays in fine/visual motor skills, as these children may not participate in developmental play at early ages and it may be difficult to teach them skills if they do not show an interest in the activity.
Children who are born with a genetic disorder can again display a broad range of disabilities or difficulty. Often accompanying symptoms are the focus of treatment. For example, the longitudinal arch in the hand of a child with Down Syndrome is often underdeveloped creating fine motor problems with in-hand manipulation and manual dexterity. Treatment will always focus on the problems presented instead of the disorder itself.
The world around us is full of stimuli. Sometimes children are unable to properly catalog all the different information coming in to his/her senses. If a stimulus isn't 'integrated' correctly into the brain the child's response may be to perceive the stimulus as a threat. Tactile defensiveness is an example where children do not process certain textures or touches correctly and it creates heightened state that can lead to emotional breakdowns or self-stimulation that is harmful to themselves. Auditory defensiveness and oral defensiveness are also examples of children with sensory integrative dysfunction.
