Global developmental delay

What is global developmental delay?

Global developmental delay is defined as a delay in two or more areas of a child’s development. Areas affected include fine and gross motor skills, language and speech, cognitive functions, personal and social development and activity of daily living.

This diagnosis is reserved for individuals under 5 years of age when the level of clinical severity cannot be reliably assessed during early childhood.

It is also diagnosed when a subject does not meet expected developmental milestones in several domains of intellectual functioning, and applies to individuals in whom a systematic assessment of intellectual functioning cannot be carried out, including children too young to participate in standardised tests. It should be reassessed after a period of time.

> American Psychiatric Association (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), 5th ed.

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