What does it mean to have a maturational delay

The psychomotor development It is a continuous process in which the child is acquiring in an orderly and progressive way a series of abilities in different areas: language, psychomotor, communication, sociability and manipulative capacity. There is a margin of normality for such acquisitions, and the further you are from the average age, the more likely it is that we will find each other. in a case of maturational delay.

The maturational delay can be a relatively frequent diagnosis in the, but fortunately in the majority of the cases there is no serious problem that justifies it. In fact, the problem is usually solved with adequate stimulation and by offering developmental opportunities appropriate to the child's age.

Causes of maturational delay

If the child does not present alterations in communication, difficulties in socialization or behavioral and learning problems, it may be an indicator that the maturation delay is not serious and will be reversible with proper stimulation. The maturational delay it may be due to:

• Simple Maturation Delay.
• Developmental or autism spectrum disorders.
• .
• Other genetic syndromes such as Down syndrome.
• Prematurity: favors the maturation process to be slower.
• Poor stimulation of the childIf the child does not have adequate opportunities to develop, he will not. Children with chronic or serious illnesses may experience delayed maturation due to intensive treatment or hospital admissions. On the other hand, if the family has a little stimulating upbringing with the little one, autonomy habits such as toilet training, eating or dressing may be delayed.
• Unknown cause: many children have a slower maturation rate for reasons that we cannot always explain.

Maturation Delay or Simple Psychomotor

Refers to a slower evolution than usual in the acquisition or achievement of milestones of psychomotor development. It occurs in the first 3 years of life and, with early stimulation and adequate support, it is reversible. This type of delay must be differentiated from Global Psychomotor Delay, which affects the psychomotor as well as the social and communicative part, being an important disorder with a worse evolution. Although the child improves, follow-up should be continued since, on occasions, psychomotor retardation is the predecessor of other conditions such as or.

Autism spectrum disorder

It is a group of disorders of genetic origin and with a great variability of affectation between patients that cause difficulties in communication with others (verbal and non-verbal), limitations in socialization ability (inability to relate to others) and repetitive and inflexible behaviors.

We can find very mild cases and other very serious and the prognosis of these children will depend on the severity of the condition. Unlike Simple Maturation Delay, it is not irreversible and they will always have this disorder, but with early and appropriate intervention they can improve some aspects of behavior and development.

How is maturational delay diagnosed?

During the routine check-ups the pediatrician It can show if the child is meeting the developmental milestones that are due to age and, if not, should be referred to the pediatric neurologist and early care team in your area. They are normally used evaluation scales, such as the screening test, which allow to identify very quickly and easily if the child is within the standards. In addition, depending on the age, more importance will be given to some symptoms over others. In Spain the Haizea-Llevant test in children from 1 month to 4 years, where 97 are evaluated referring to five areas:

• Socialization
• Language
• Mathematical logic
• Handling
• Postural control

After the result we can determine the severity and the most appropriate treatmentYes, but for this it is important to have identified the origin or cause.

What are the treatments?

Children with maturational delay are referred to a early care center or to a neuroprediatrist if the case is more serious. The early care centers They are made up of multidisciplinary teams and appropriate therapies are offered to each patient based on the stimulation to try to produce the necessary neural connections to acquire certain skills.

Despite working with professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists or physiotherapists, the parental role is very important to follow the guidelines at home and help the child in their day-to-day life.

The areas that are usually worked on are:

• Autonomy: self-care, grooming, clothing, food and personal safety.
• The language and the communication.
• Motor skills.
• Cognitive functions: solve problems, identify, associate, classify or serialize, in addition to attention, memory and perception.

• The maturational delay can be a relatively frequent diagnosis in the pediatric office, but, fortunately, in most cases there is no serious problem that justifies it.
• The most important step once the maturational delay has been detected is to know the cause, as they can be mild or severe.
• Children with maturational delay are referred to an early care center or, if seriousness is evident, to a pediatric neurologist.

Pediatric Specialist