Asynchronous Development, Delay or Disability- that is the question, Part 1.

Is your young child experiencing a delay, asynchronous development or is a disability more accurate. This is a very complicated and emotionally complicated topic. I'm bringing it up to open the discussion...

Asynchronous skills development can speed up or delay the emergence of skills. What is asynchronous development though? It means developmental skills are coming at a rate or emergence that is unique and doesn't fit a statistical norm. Sometimes gifted children have deep thoughts and are lost in their wise ponderings but maybe don't like playing pretend with peers. Sometimes children are skilled kicking a ball beyond their peers but struggle with math concepts. They often all catch up and even out to be within a medically accepted statistical "normal" range. But other times they stay really talented or always find a skill challenging. Sometimes this early asynchronicity indicates something else; sometimes the delay reflects a neurological difference that can make life challenging enough to be a disability even if it's invisible to the outsider.

Developing skills at different times than "average" developmental milestones can be stressful for parents. Please, take a breath. Consider the "spiky" profile. Rather than developing skills based on a predictable path, a child could excel in one area and lag in another. They have a "spike" in skills, for example sorting dinosaurs, yet lag in expressive verbal communication, they don't talk much.

When kids skills catch up it can be the spikes are all catching up. Or it can be that they are working really really hard to compensate for an internal difference. When the later is true the child may fatigue mentally, emotionally, socially even physically. If they work so hard and need extended recovery time that interferes with life that can be a hidden disability.

Email me at UNJparent@gmail.com if you'd like to chat or learn more.