Synonyms
Global developmental delay (diagnosed before the age of 5); Neurodevelopmental disorder
Definition
Developmental delay is the failure to achieve certain developmental milestones at the appropriate age or when an individual falls below the norm of standardized test scores (Thomas 2016). Delays may occur in one or more of the following areas: intellectual, emotional, social, motor, physical, language/communication, and adaptive skills (Berk 2013). Delays typically occur in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers that need support but are not classified as handicapped. Early intervention programs are available to eligible children to help mitigate the impact of these delays (American Psychological Association 2013).
Current Knowledge
A developmental delay in a specific domain may occur in isolation or in conjunction with delays in other domains. To recognize a delay and to select an appropriate intervention, clinicians must first have an understanding of developmental norms...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References and Readings
American Psychiatric Association. (2013a). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
American Psychological Association. (2013b). APA dictionary of clinical psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Berk, L. (2013). Development through the lifespan (6th ed.). New York: Pearson.
Hall, L. J. (2012). Autism spectrum disorders: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Hamaguchi, P. (2010). Childhood speech, language, and listening problems (3rd ed.). Hoboken: Wiley.
Hope, C. (2014). Autism: Parenting an autistic child: Autistic signs, symptoms, causes, facts, therapies, and treatments. Amazon Digital Services, Seattle LLC.
Provost, B., Lopez, B., & Heimerl, S. (2007). A comparison of motor delays in young children: Autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and developmental concerns. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(2), 321–328.
Schroeder, C. S., & Gordon, B. N. (2002). Assessment & treatment of childhood problems (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Stone, W. L., MacLean, W. E., & Hogan, K. L. (1995). Autism and mental retardation. In M. C. Roberts (Ed.), Handbook of pediatric psychology (pp. 655–675). New York: Guilford Press.
Thomas, M. S. C. (2016). Understanding delay in developmental disorders. Child Development Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12169.
Weis, R. (2014). Intro_to_abnormal_child_and_adolescent psychology (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Diamond, B.J., Mondragon, A., Bujalski, A., Cramer-Berness, L. (2018). Developmental Delay. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_549
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_549
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences