Developmental Delay Basics
How TheraTogs Can Help with Managing Developmental Delay
Competent limb use begins with trunk and pelvic alignment and control and with adequate body awareness and sensory input.
Therefore, regardless of the cause or level of severity of a delay in development, we recommend beginning to use TheraTogs garments to support the acquisition of these fundamental, core components needed for postural control – the ability to sustain a posture while attending to and engaged in a purposeful activity.
Wide Range of Uses
The customizability of TheraTogs strapping strategies empowers attending therapists to design problem-specific systems that support their therapy goals. For this reason, please find condition-specific discussions at these blogs:
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Cerebral Palsy (and linked subtypes)
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Autism Spectrum Disorders (when detected early) [1],[2]
Which TheraTogs Systems to Use
These TheraTogs products support therapy goals for client with developmental delay:
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Full Body System (FBS) – comes with limb strapping components.
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Wunzi System – for infants and young preschoolers. Order the accompanying Limb Kit for extra strapping.
Applicable Science and Therapy Approaches
Sciences that apply to the management of developmental delay:
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Somatosensory information processing and modulation
Therapy approaches that can be used to address developmental delay:
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Movement System [Impairment Syndrome] Analysis and Management
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Perception-Action Approach (P-A) (formerly TAMO – Tscharnuter Akademie for Motor Organization)
More About Developmental Delay
The term Developmental Delay describes a very broad group of conditions that feature impairments in the timely acquisition of sensorimotor, cognitive (learning), speech and language, and/or social and behavioral skills. Developmental delay is usually detected by screening procedures that implement standardized tests of developmental milestones. In 2001, 13% of children at 9 and 24 months showed developmental delays that were likely to make them eligible for early intervention services.[3]
The cause of a delay in the acquisition of balance and movement skills might not be known, though it can be a symptom of the following conditions:
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Mild Cerebral Palsy
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Hypotonia or ligament laxity
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Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Syndromes due to chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down Syndrome
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Premature birth and very low birth weight
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Fetal alcohol syndrome
Resources
For an excellent, fully-illustrated resource on infant motor development, read Lois Bly’s Components of Typical and Atypical Motor Development.[4]
Learn more about developmental delay at: med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/devdel.htm
References
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Teitelbaum O1, Benton T, Shah PK, et al. 2004. Eshkol-Wachman movement notation in diagnosis: the arly detection of Asperger’s syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Aug 10;101(32):11909-14.
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Teitelbaum P, Teitelbaum O, Nye J, Fryman J, Maurer RG.1998. Movement analysis in infancy may be useful for early diagnosis of autism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 95(23):13982-7.
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Rosenberg SA, Zhang D, Robinson CC. 2008. Prevalence of developmental delays and participation in early intervention services for young children. Pediatrics. 121:e1503–e1509.
- Bly L. 2011. Components of Typical and Atypical Motor Development. Laguna Beach, CA; Neurodevelopmental Treatment Association; www.ndta.org