Delayed neuropsychomotor development occurs when the baby does not begin to sit, crawl, walk, or speak at a predetermined stage, such as other babies of the same age.This term is used by the pediatrician, physical therapist, psychomotorist, or occupational therapist when it is found that the child has not yet reached certain expected developmental parameters for each phase.
Any baby may have some form of developmental delay, even if the woman has had a healthy pregnancy, uncomplicated delivery, and the seemingly healthy baby, however, it is most common for this developmental delay to affect children who have had complications during pregnancy.childbirth or after birth.
Signs and symptoms that may indicate some developmental delay include:
When the baby is premature, the corrected age up to age 2 should be calculated to evaluate these motor developmental parameters, which means that the baby should be born at 40 weeks, so if you were born earlier, you should calculate when the baby will be born.would be 3 months old, if he was born on the scheduled date of delivery.
For example: a premature baby, who was born at 30 weeks, although completed 1 month 4 weeks after birth, should in fact be considered a baby at 34 weeks gestation, indicating that 12 weeks after birth, it is not yet.able to hold his head, because in fact his corrected age indicates that he is not yet 3 months old of a baby who was born at the right time.
A medical evaluation is necessary for diagnosis, and it is important to know data such as: how pregnancy was, childbirth, the early days of the baby, whether there is a genetic alteration and for this you can perform blood tests, or images such as electroencephalogram and CT scan to look for changes in the brain that may be present, especially if cerebral palsy or epilepsy is suspected.
Children with developmental delays should undergo physical therapy, psychomotor and occupational therapy sessions each week until they reach goals of sitting, walking, eating alone, and maintaining personal hygiene.During the consultations, various exercises are performed, in a playful way.to help strengthen muscles, correct posture, stimulate vision, treat reflexes and blockages, as well as contractures and deformities.
Watch the video below to see some exercises that can stimulate your baby:
This is a time-consuming treatment that should last months or years until the child reaches the parameters he or she can develop.Genetic syndromes are known to have characteristics of their own and that a child with cerebral palsy may not be able to walk alone, and therefore each assessment must be individual, in order to assess what the baby has and what its developmental potential is, etc.Describe treatment goals.
The earlier the baby starts treatment, the better and faster the results will be obtained, especially when treatment starts before the first year of life.
Delayed neuropsychomotor development may be due to changes that may have occurred:
The baby born prematurely has an increased risk of developmental delay, and the more premature he or she is born, the greater the risk.
Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy have an increased risk of developmental delay, but not all children with developmental delay have cerebral palsy.