Mild Global Developmental Delay

[Enigma999]

So today I received a report from the paediatrician my son saw recently. He is 14 months and not yet walking and has very few words. The report says that the paediatrician's diagnosis is Mild Global Developmental Delay. He has been referred for early intervention but I am beyond worry as to what this means for my son. Will he catch up and does this mean he will always be behind at school. I am just so worried about my son's future. Has anyone experienced this? I would really appreciate any insight.

I think that 14 months is way too early to tell and the fact that your ds is saying words is great. Mild global developmental delay could mean anything at that age eg my friend's son would have met that criteria at 14 mths and he's NT whereas ds had this diagnosis originally and ended up with an Aspergers diagnosis.

Thanks for your reply. True what you said that it could mean anything at that age. My friend's son didn't walk or talk until he was 18 or 19 months and he is very advanced now, was never diagnosed with anything. When I said he has words I should have clarified these are only variations of 'mom', be it 'ma' or 'mommy' and only uses them when he is upset. The paediatrician didn't tell me his diagnosis at the time, only to send in early intervention forms. When I said I presume he will catch up he replied that some do, some don't, but that he couldn't honestly say. So thought the worst when I read the diagnosis today. He always struck me as very clever and the childminder used to say this too so very upset today but will talk to the doctor on Monday.

I'm actually really surprised at the diagnosis tbh as so many children aren't walking or talking much at that age. Is your son crawling? Pointing? Can he copy you if you wave etc? Does he respond to his name, follow a point etc? Follow your instincts as you are the expert on your child.

He doesn't point nor does he follow my point or gaze. I know this is a red flag and surprisingly the paediatrician never asked this. He doesn't crawl, only recently getting in to a crawling position but not yet moving forward. He rolls everywhere and pushes himself backward. He likes me waving at him but doesn't respond. He is an only child and has had little interaction with other children. I always saw the negative things at home but then would receive positive feedback from the childminder. But I know he should be pointing. Autism was ruled out completely by the paediatrician...

Just to say it was ruled out as he was considered socially responsive which the paediatrician said autism is not.

Well ds is extremely socially responsive and is definitely autistic! It's absolutely brilliant that your son has been referred for early intervention so it sounds like they're on the ball as it can have a huge impact. And 14 months is so so young. They really can't tell at this age so the GDD diagnosis is a 'catch all' diagnosis. We were always told that ds had a cognitive delay which didn't sit right at the time and more thorough testing when he was older showed this wasn't the case.

It's a really stressful time hearing that your child has 'delays'. There's so much you can do though. Are you in the UK?

It is so stressful but so upsetting. I was reading the report yesterday. I'm in Ireland so it's probably different to the UK but they do early intervention. He ruled out autism based on a video I showed him. He's my only child so it's all so distressing.

I’m surprised by that doctor. My dd at 23 months couldn’t walk, pull to stand, no words, didn’t really acknowledge people. Her receptive language scored 12 months at 36 months in fact and they STILL said it was normal development! Obv it wasn’t, but she’s done ok.

Thanks for your reply. I saw my own doctor today to discuss report. She said they probably wouldn't do early intervention until he's 2 or so but she still said 'look we knew that everything wasn't completely normal with him and you're a fab mum and wouldn't be here unless you suspected something'. So they are really painting a negative picture quite early compared to your experience. She said she wished she had a crystal ball and could tell me he would definitely catch up but they just don't know.

Have you been evaluated by the local 0-19 team or not? Our baby to college community team have been amazing. My son is progressing normally with his cognitive abilities and speech acquisition is fine but he does have gross motor delays.
He has a physical therapist who comes to my apartment once a week to work with him. He does not walk independently either. His physical development is definitely delayed.
But we are working on it. Right now he is beginning to identify colors and numbers and shapes. I’ve never seen him move his feet or toes or his legs either. However his upper body strength is something to remark on. We think that his only real area of concern is gross motor skills.

Hi. I'm in Ireland so haven't heard of 0 to 19 team. He hasn't been evaluated by anyone other than the paediatrician who has referred him to early intervention team. He has delays in all areas but moves an awful lot just not in the right away. Gets about quite well by rolling, moving backwards, etc. Recently pulls himself in to crawling position a lot but just doesn't move forward. If the wall is behind him he will just roll over instead of moving forward. I am pushing for him to be seen by the early intervention crowd as they can give me exercises to do with him. It was just my doctor who said he was too young at 14 months as wouldn't be receptive to them but I'm not waiting until he's 2 or 3 like she said. I feel the sooner the better as he seems like a bright little fellow.

What are his cognitive abilities like? Have you tried applying for DLA for him yet or not? I would push for a referral to a specialist for some much needed answers.

I don't know what DLA is as I'm in Ireland. He was seen by a paediatrician before Christmas. The early intervention team are holding a meeting in relation to him on Thursday as my Doctor, etc, have pushed for it to be moved forward. They will then decide what his needs are and I will hear back next week. So it's going in the right direction.

Global developmental delay is so vague as to mean almost nothing on a practical level. It's mostly used to signify that a child need support in all areas of their development. It's a label used to enable you to access support more than it is a medical diagnosis. It signifies delays in all areas of development. Some children catch up, some go on to be diagnosed with other conditions and stop using this label and some people keep the label because they have ongoing undiagnosed developmental issues.

I just hope that he'll be in the bracket of children who do catch up. I can't really bear to think otherwise.

It wouldn't be the end of the world my dd is one of the ones who went on to get a further diagnosis and she is joyous and forced and so much cooler than I'll ever be. Most likely the notation on your sons report was just an observation that means very little in the grand scheme ring the paediatrician for a chat but don't let it rule your life as I said most likely he'll catch up.

Fierce not forced

Thanks very much for your reply. Hearing anything that's positive means an awful lot.

Hi

My kiddo have GDD, I know exactly how you feel. I hope my DS catches up too. Xx

Hello @Enigma999 how is your son doing now, what’s the update?

Hi @Sabu1234, my son is 3 now and was diagnosed with autism at 2. He still has delays, is non verbal, but is doing well at an early intervention preschool.

@MummySharkDoDo how is your dd doing now? At what age did she start to walk? I’m in a very similar situation and so so’s so worried