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Developmental delay comes in various degrees of severity and is a common cause of parental worry. Far too often parents are told, "He will out grow it", "He is just a little immature" or "He'll catch up. Just give him a lot of love". Parents know in their hearts that it is not right and that the problem is real. Developmental delay can have many causes but one of the most common is a slowly developing nervous system. There are many reasons that explain a slowly developing nervous system including disease or even various types of brain injury. However, it is important to realize that if the delay of the nervous system occurs early in life it usually impedes the rate of development. This means the gap between such a child and his or her chronological peers will widen with age. For this reason, parents need to act early to provide appropriate programs for their child that can help minimize this gap.
Older children with developmental delay usually have additional problems. They are often the product of a system that is quick to give up. They are exposed to limits placed on them that then become the reality even though there was no bases for these limits other than the fact that no one knew what to do. They can become stagnant, unmotivated, or suffer from a poor quality of life below their potential. The important thing to remember is that they can be helped. Their situation is not hopeless and parents can become empowered and enabled to offer effective productive help that can contribute significantly to the quality of life of the delayed child. This means not only the quality of the child's life but as a result, the quality of life for all the family members as well. The CNR has garnered a great deal of experience working with thousands of developmentally delayed children and their families since 1965. It is our belief that through organized stimulation programs, you can,
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Text and images on this page are copyrighted by Dr. Unruh at The Centre For Neurological Rehabilitation. All rights are reserved.
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