The Assignment
Create a study guide for your assigned disorder (Global developmental delay). Your study guide should be in the form of an outline with references, and you should incorporate visual elements such as concept maps, charts, diagrams, images, color coding, mnemonics, and/or flashcards. Be creative! It should not be in the format of an APA paper. Your guide should be informed by the DSM-5-TR but also supported by at least three other scholarly resources.
Areas of importance you should address, but are not limited to, are:
- Signs and symptoms according to the DSM-5-TR
- Differential diagnoses
- Incidence
- Development and course
- Prognosis
- Considerations related to culture, gender, age
- Pharmacological treatments, including any side effects
- Nonpharmacological treatments
- Diagnostics and labs
- Comorbidities
- Legal and ethical considerations
- Pertinent patient education considerations
Study Guide Forum- Global Developmental Delay
Global developmental delay is a disorder, which is characterized by the prevalence of delays in two or more developmental domains (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The domains include speech, fine motor, cognition, and social activities among children below the age of 5 years. Some of the common signs and symptoms that appear with the condition include difficulties in the children’s motor skills, delayed speech, limited reasoning, and conceptual abilities, poor social skills, poor coping skills, aggressive behavior, and others such as delayed sitting, crawling, and even walking.
Differential Diagnoses
The two differential diagnoses for global development delay are autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. The symptoms of the conditions overlap which calls for a comprehensive assessment process to determine the correct diagnosis (Belanger & Caron, 2018).
Incidence
The incidence of global developmental delay is 10 to 15 percent of pre-school going-children.
Development and Course & Prognosis
A myriad of factors causes global developmental delays ranging from genetics, malformations of the central nervous system, exposure to prenatal toxins, neonatal complications, asphyxia, prematurity, infections, and neglect after birth, to trauma. It is vital to acknowledge that some of the symptoms are indicators of underlying health conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, and even muscular dystrophies.
Culture, Gender, and Age
Culture, gender, and age are important determinants in the development of global development delay. For example, culture is made up of different things like food, music, and art. The above factors can affect how children grow socially, cognitively, and overall emotionally growth. The issue of age is crucial since children should achieve different milestones at different ages. Gender preferences among some communities could result in limited opportunities, stigma, and discrimination which could result in delayed milestones among children.
Pharmacological Treatments
Pharmacological treatments can be used to manage complications such as seizures. Carbamazepine is a commonly used drug for the treatment of seizures among children. The choice of medications is based on their tolerability and adverse effects.
Non-pharmacological Treatments
Non-pharmacological treatments used on children heavily rely on the extent and type of the delay. For example, children that have delayed speech need speech therapy, those with motor skills problems would highly benefit from occupational and physical therapy services while those with hearing delays could largely benefit from hearing aids.
Diagnostics and Labs
According to Liao (2019), diagnostic and laboratory testing for global development delays include genetic, molecular, and metabolic tests. They are conducted using urine samples and enable evaluation for abnormalities in the body chemistry, which result in development delays. Other tests include chromosomal testing that could be used to unveil genetic defects. CT scans and MRIs can be used for assessing the possibility of injuries in the central nervous system and even in the brain.
Comorbidities
Children with global developmental delays could suffer from comorbidities such as behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, and seizures. The above comorbidities are likely to affect a child negatively and even contribute to low quality of life.
Legal and Ethical considerations
The fact that the condition is more common among preschool children results in the likelihood of attracting ethical and legal issues touching on parental consent for the administration of the tests as well as the need for the healthcare practitioners to observe ethical principles such as beneficence during the delivery of the services.
Pertinent Patient Education Considerations
Parents should be informed that the early identification of developmental delays in children could facilitate early management that can alter a child’s developmental trajectory. More so, developmental delays can involve one or more domains of functioning. Close monitoring and stimulation of children presenting with mild delays could result in better functioning and minimal complications.
References
American Psychiatric Association (2013) The DSM V diagnostic criteria for developmental co-ordination disorder. Available at: https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm01
Bélanger, S. A., & Caron, J. (2018). Evaluation of the child with global developmental delay and intellectual disability. Paediatrics & child health, 23(6), 403-410.
Liao, L. H., Chen, C., Peng, J., Wu, L. W., He, F., Yang, L. F., … & Yin, F. (2019). Diagnosis of intellectual disability/global developmental delay via genetic analysis in a central region of China. Chinese medical journal, 132(13), 1533.