How Global Developmental Disorder Impacts Child Development

All kids develop at their own pace, but it can be a source of concern when they do not meet typical developmental milestones, such as walking, talking, and interacting with others. Global developmental delay (GDD), sometimes referred to as global developmental disorder, is a neurodevelopmental diagnosis in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5-TR).

For an individual to meet the criteria for GDD, they must experience delays in achieving milestones in several areas of intellectual functioning and learning. A provider will re-evaluate someone with a diagnosis of GDD as they get older to obtain a more specific and accurate diagnosis.

Global developmental disorder indicates that a child is significantly behind their peers in two or more important developmental domains. While this diagnosis can feel overwhelming, early diagnosis and intervention can ensure that kids have the care they need to support their progress.

Characteristics of Global Developmental Disorder

According to the DSM, global developmental delay indicates that a child fails to meet expected developmental milestones in several aspects of intellectual functioning.

Symptoms of GDD can include, but are not limited to:

• Delays in motor skills (including crawling and walking)
• Difficulty with fine motor skills
• Language and communication delays
• Difficulty understanding communication
• Difficulty with problem-solving
• Difficulty with social skills

How It’s Diagnosed

Providers diagnose intellectual disabilities by assessing an individual’s cognitive and adaptive functioning. Although adaptive functioning can be evaluated from birth, many cognitive tests (also referred to as IQ tests) require that a child be at least six years old for testing.

Some IQ tests can evaluate children younger than six, but long-term research shows that these scores do not accurately predict future learning prior to age six.

Providers can identify developmental delays in many different ways, including:

• Diagnostic Interview with the Parent or Guardian: This interview consists of gathering extensive, detailed information about the child’s history so far, developmental progress, and any known medical issues or injuries.
• Vineland-3: The Vineland-3 measures adaptive functioning in several domains, including communication, daily life skills, social skills, and motor skills. A parent form can be administered as early as birth, and a teacher form can be administered starting at age three.
• Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-3: The ABAS-3 measures an individual’s adaptive skills from birth through their lifespan and assesses for developmental and learning disabilities, neuropsychological disorders, and physical impairments.
• Bayley-4: The Bayley scales measure cognitive, language, motor, social, emotional, and adaptive behavioral growth in preschool-age children to determine whether developmental delays are present.

What Are the Causes?

Global developmental delay can have many causes, and in some cases, the exact reasons for these delays are not immediately clear. Because GDD is a general term and not a specific diagnosis, many different things can cause a child to experience a delay with this label.

Sometimes, genetics can cause developmental delays. Research suggests that genetic factors are responsible for up to 40% of developmental delays.

Other times, the environment can cause GDD, both before and after the child is born.

• Prenatal exposures: GDD can begin before birth when caused by exposure to drugs or other toxic substances, premature birth, prenatal infections, or hemorrhages.
• Injury or illness: Following birth, head traumas or certain infections such as meningitis can cause GDD.
• Malnutrition, abuse, or physical neglect: Deprived environments and poor child care can cause a child to experience developmental delays.

Can Treatment Help?

Global developmental delays don’t always last forever. Some children outgrow developmental delays and catch up to their peers with minimal intervention. However, many benefit from treatments and services that help them reach their full potential.

Treatments that can help with GDDs include:

• Birth to three programs: These programs emphasize helping a child reach missed milestones and catch up to their peers.
• Early childhood special education: Preschool and kindergarten programs can offer individual special education to help meet a child’s specific needs when the child exhibits developmental delays.
• Physical therapy: Physical therapists can help a child by teaching them exercises and skills to catch up on motor delays or recover from an injury that might be causing a delay.
• Speech therapy: Speech therapists can help children learn to use language to express their needs by emphasizing articulation, vocabulary, or other forms of communication.
• Occupational therapy (OT): Occupational therapists help with adaptive skills. OT can help alleviate sensory issues, develop fine motor skills, or complete other functional tasks.
• Re-evaluation: Because GDD is a general term for unspecified developmental delays, as the child gets older and can undergo more specific assessments, re-evaluation can help identify and understand their delays and provide a more specific diagnosis.

How to Find Support

Some children diagnosed with GDD are able to catch up developmentally and will no longer meet the criteria for a developmental disorder as they get older. Others continue to experience mild, moderate, or severe difficulties throughout their lifetime.

Parents and caregivers whose child has a diagnosis of GDD can ask their treatment team questions they have about their child’s specific delays and what interventions might help them catch up. They may also benefit from support groups where they can connect with other families going through similar situations.