“Identifying and treating vestibular dysfunction in early childhood is important for optimizing development.”
Developmental Delays
The term ‘developmental delay’ or ‘global development delay’ is used when a child takes longer to reach certain developmental milestones than other children of their age. This may include learning to walk, learning to talk, movement skills, learning new things, and interacting with others socially and emotionally. For some, their delay will be short term and they will naturally “catch up” to their peers, while others may need additional support depending on their level of disability.
A diagnosis of developmental delay can sometimes be very confusing as every child is unique and will develop at their own pace. However, there are specific times when areas of the brain are supposed to develop, and when a child misses these windows of growth, there may be long-term consequences.
Abnormal Vestibular Function: Often Overlooked
In recent years, it has become accepted that identifying and treating vestibular dysfunction early in childhood is important for optimizing development. Many children who have known developmental delays, even with no diagnosis, have been shown to have abnormal vestibular function in objective testing. Although certain symptoms of developmental delay such as frequent falls, low muscle tone, delayed reading, and altered gait resemble children with vestibular disorders, it is very rare that vestibular screens are done on children with developmental delays. For example, in recent studies, children with learning disabilities were observed to have abnormal vestibular processing compared to children without learning disabilities. There is a correlation.
Treatment
Due to the large amounts of vestibular abnormalities in children with developmental delays and learning disabilities, the research has supported vestibular testing on these children which may translate into a specific vestibular rehabilitation program aimed at improving symptoms and function. Therefore, at The Neurologic Wellness Institute our clinicians perform a detailed vestibular and neurological evaluation on all of our children with any disability and delay and develops very specific treatments based on the evaluation. Our clinic has unique, state-of-the-art equipment where patients from around the world fly in to receive our care.
For more information on the type of conditions, our clinicians help with, schedule a consult with one of our patient care coordinators.
Dannenbaum et al. Vestibular assessments in children with global developmental delay. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2016;00:1-8.
