We came across the heart wrenching news of the loss of an innocent life within the premises of a school. This is the second time in a year that a child has lost his life within school boundaries. It is natural to feel hurt and angry about the injustice of it all.Who is responsible for the safety of our children? Is it the school or the parents or at a larger level, the government? Perhaps it is all of them.

As a parent, it is important that we teach our children to be assertive in order to protect themselves against incidents of bullying and emotional exploitation. And most importantly, make our homes a place of trust and support. At school, creating a safe learning environment, identifying pupils who are suffering or at risk of harm and then taking suitable action, are vital to making sure that children are safe.We, as parents, have an added responsibility to use such forums with utmost care and caution. In today’s time of dwindling family ties internet sometimes takes over the role of pseudo parents and may function as their only emotional support systems. We, as the community, need to provide more robust personal “ live” forums where our children can seek support for all their emotional needs.

Turning off our computers, our phone, logging off Facebook, and just getting rid of social media and actually having face to face conversations with our children is the need of the hour and may actually save this generation. Together we can protect our future generation by teaching them to be smart, strong, and safe.

Developmental Delay

Developmental Delay

As a child grows and develops, he learns different skills, such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, or waving goodbye. These skills are known as developmental milestones. There is normal variation around what age children will achieve a specific developmental milestone.  Developmental delay refers to a child who is not achieving milestones within the age range of that normal variability. Most often, at least initially, it is difficult or impossible to determine whether the delay is a marker of a long-term issue with development or learning (i.e. known as a disability) or whether the child will ‘catch-up’ and be ‘typical’ in their development and learning.  ’There are five main groups of skills that make up the developmental milestones. A child may have a developmental delay in one or more of these areas:

• Gross motor: using large groups of muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, etc., keeping balance and changing positions.
• Fine motor: using hands and fingers to be able to eat, draw, dress, play, write and do many other things.
• Language: speaking, using body language and gestures, communicating and understanding what others say.
• Cognitive: Thinking skills including learning, understanding, problem-solving, reasoning and remembering.
• Social: Interacting with others, having relationships with family, friends, and teachers, cooperating and responding to the feelings of others.

Usually, there is an age range of several months where a child is expected to learn these new skills. If the normal age range for walking is 9 to 15 months, and a child still isn’t walking by 20 months, this would be considered a developmental delay (2 standard deviations below the mean). A delay in one area of development may be accompanied by a delay in another area. For example, if there is a difficulty in speech and language, a delay in other areas such as social or cognitive development may coexist.

It is important to identify developmental delays early so that treatment can minimize the effects of the problem. Parents who have concerns about their child’s development should consult the child’s physician, who, in turn, might make a referral to a developmental pediatrician, developmental psychologist or pediatric neurologist. The consultant can evaluate the child and recommend treatments and therapies that might benefit the child.

What Causes Developmental Delay?

Developmental delay can have many different causes, such as genetic causes (like Down Syndrome), or complications of pregnancy and birth (like prematurity or infections). Often, however, the specific cause is unknown. Some causes can be easily reversed if caught early enough, such as hearing loss from chronic ear infections.

Can Developmental Delay Be Prevented?

Since there are so many different conditions that can lead to developmental delays, there isn’t one “right way” to prevent developmental delay. What’s important is to be aware of when your baby should be reaching developmental milestones and to consult your pediatrician if you think there may be a problem. Early intervention is key in helping your child overcome any developmental delays.

How is Developmental Delay Treated?

There is no one treatment that works for every child with a developmental delay. Children are unique; they learn and grow and develop in their own way, at their own pace, based on their strengths and weaknesses. Any treatment plan will take this uniqueness into account and be designed to focus on individual needs. Early intervention services are the main theme of treatment, but any underlying conditions that have led to developmental delay will need to be treated as well. Early intervention services may include:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Behavior Therapies, such as those used to treat autism and behavioral issues

In addition, if there are other disabilities present medical or surgical treatments may be required to manage those conditions.

It is important for all children with developmental delay to have their hearing and vision evaluated so that untreated visual or hearing impairments do not complicate the situation.

DIFFICULTY IN LEARNING

IS YOUR CHILD SUFFERING FROM DIFFICULTY IN LEARNING?

Learning disabilities is a general term used to describe a variety of learning disorders. According to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities  struggles with reading and writing, avoids school, and has difficulty communicating. Many children with learning disabilities are extremely smart. They can use their strengths to hide certain difficulties, like using a phenomenal auditory memory to avoid reading or taking notes.If you notice your 3- to 5-year-old having difficulty rhyming words, singing the alphabet song, or mispronouncing words more than other children their age do, these could be signs of a learning disability.
Here are some symptoms -


Mispronouncing words
Word substitution
Poor spellings
Difficulty copying shapes, letters, and words
Letter and word reversals


TYPES OF LEARNING DISABILITY
Many children may have both an LD and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder .Here are the six main types of LDs.

Dyslexia
 Contrary to popular belief, dyslexia is a language-based disorder, not a visual problem that causes children to reverse letters. Individuals with dyslexia may have challenges with reading, spelling, and writing in conjunction with challenges in both understanding and expressing language. Such challenges may be severe or subtle and difficult to recognize,"The reason may be that girls tend to sit more quietly in their seats while boys often have behavior problems that draw attention to their learning disabilities.

Dyscalculia
 Dyscalculia refers to difficulty with mathematics, such as computing, remembering math facts, and learning time and money concepts. The signs of dyscalculia change over time.This type of LD affects functional skills such as playing board games, counting money, or measuring things.

Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia refers to difficulty with the task of writing.Children with dysgraphia struggle to organize letters, words, and numbers on a page. Handwriting is a complex process that involves processing information and putting thoughts on paper by coordinating vision and pencil movements to form letters and words.Children with this type of LD may also have difficulties with other fine motor skills and spelling.

Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia refers to difficulty with fine motor skills, such as controlling a pencil, grasping scissors, and hand-eye coordination. Parents may observe early signs of dyspraxia in a baby who does not imitate waving and pointing. Dyspraxia also affects gross motor skills such as the coordination to ride a bike or play sports

Auditory Processing Disorder 
Children with auditory processing disorders have difficulty with interpreting auditory information related to language development and reading. Parents and teachers might observe difficulties with discriminating similar sounds and words, following directions, and distinguishing important sounds.

Sensory Processing Disorder
Learning disabilities affect the brain's ability to take in information, process it, and use it in a functional manner such as reading, writing, or following directions.children with learning disabilities often have sensory processing issues that compound their difficulties,

Visual Processing Disorder
Visual processing disorders involve difficulties interpreting visual information related to reading, writing, and math. Children with this type of LD might have a problem discerning visual similarities and differences.Other signs of a visual processing disorder include difficulties sequencing symbols, words or images, and spelling.

Diagnosing a Learning Disability

Teachers typically offer a referral for educational testing to understand why a student is not working up to his potential. Usually the discrepancy between a student's expected achievement (such as reading at grade level) and actual academic performance is a hallmark of a learning disability.A speech and language pathology (SLP) evaluation can diagnose dyslexia or, along with an audiologist, diagnose an auditory processing disorder, and an occupational therapy evaluation may indicate dyspraxia, dysgraphia, or a visual processing disorder. Although developmental or learning challenges may be observed in younger children, learning disabilities are typically identified in school-aged children when academic demands increase and skills are closely monitored.
Learning disabilities vary in terms of severity, with sensory systems (e.g., visual, motor or auditory) and functions (e.g., difficulty speaking, reading, or writing) being affected. Parents who observe that their child is struggling to learn should ask their school to provide comprehensive testing by a team composed of a psychologist, occupational and physical therapists, a speech language pathologist, and an educational specialist.