Consequences

Developmental Disabilities

All children grow at their own pace and in their own ways. Some walk sooner than others, some are quiet, some are climbers, some like to sing and dance. This is part of a child’s natural development. Development is not something adults specifically teach children, but are sets of behaviors that are expected to occur, as a child gets older. Children develop in areas of language, motor skills, social interaction, and problem solving.

Sometimes a child’s development lags markedly behind that of his or her peers in a noticeable way in one or more areas. The general term used for this situation is developmental delay.

Developmental delay also refers to a very slow overall development of a child. This is different from a developmental disability, which is a more specific kind of delay. A developmental disability is usually noticed because most areas of development are proceeding normally, but one or two areas are significantly behind the rest. A child may have serious problems speaking, but can run and jump as other children do.

Developmental disabilities are used to describe any number of disabilities that have to do with the interruption of natural development, begin in childhood, and will last for the rest of one's life. Developmental disabilities may affect a person's ability to speak, learn, make decisions, understand language, or take care of oneself. Although many of them have to do with cognitive development, not all developmental disabilities decrease a person's intelligence. Developmental disabilities vary widely in their causes and in their manifestation. An estimated 4 million people in the United States have a developmental disability. The most common developmental disabilities are mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

While the causes of many disabilities have been discovered, an extra chromosome for Down Syndrome for example, many of the causes are still unknown. We do know that they begin rather early in life or before birth.

The most common preventable cause of mental retardation is the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, resulting in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can also result in the more subtle but equally devastating Fetal Alcohol Effect, a cause of some learning disabilities and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.

It is impossible to prevent all developmental disabilities, but precaution can be taken when research has been noticing a link between exposure to environmental toxins and various developmental problems. There is a host of known metals, chemicals and substances that adversely affect a developing human being.

It is important to know how to minimize the possibility of a developmental disability. A child’s development is at its most crucial time during pregnancy and infancy. Then, only very gradually does development slow as one approaches adulthood. It is important, therefore to ensure a healthy pregnancy, infancy and early childhood to our kids.

Exposures to environmental toxins should be minimized. Lead, mercury, solvents like alcohol, PCBs, pesticides, and other chemicals should be avoided during pregnancy. Good general health like a good diet and regular exercise, intellectual and social stimulation will help minimize the chances of developmental delay as well.