until;we;backed;up;and;dealt;with;the
foundation alone that development
came.;She;began;to;mature,;understand
her;own;body;in;space,;cross;midline,
engage;in;conversation,;read,;write—in
other;words,;come;out;of;her;cocoon.
Children;often;show;pronounced;dif-ficulties;in;one;area;and;milder;struggles
in;other;areas,;but;if;the;problems;are
foundational,;there’s;a;strong;likelihood
that;hidden;potentials;exist.;These;areas
include;gross;and;fine;motor;movements,
balance, sensory integration, posture,
muscle;tone,;behavior,;emotions,;social
interactions, eye movements, auditory
processing,;and;academics.
For;example,;some;children;have;im-paired;motor;movements;and/or;balance
difficulties. The noticeable awkwardness may be symptomatic of dysfunc-tion;at;a;deeper;level.;Balance;difficul-ties;may;manifest;as;static;(nonmoving)
or dynamic (moving). Some children
have;balance;as;long;as;they;don’t;have
to;stand;still,;or;close;their;eyes,;or;turn
their;heads.
Another common area of dysfunc-
tion;is;the;sensory;system.;Such;children
may show;irregular;breathing,;the;con-
tinued;presence;of;primitive;reflexes,;and
extreme;sensitivity;or;lack;of;sensitivity;to
light,;sound,;taste,;touch,;or;movement.
And;the;same;can;be;said;about;mus-cle;tone;and;posture.;Muscle;tone;should
naturally develop as primitive reflexes
withdraw in early development. Poor
posture;may;be;involuntary;and;might
improve;in;an;older;child;when;interven-tion;occurs;at;the;foundational;level.
Additionally, children with delayed
development;typically;experience;social,
behavioral,;and/or;emotional;imbalan-
ces.;They;may;be;unable;to;regulate;their
emotions;or;interact;appropriately;in;so-
cial;settings.;Many;are;immature,;con-
tinually;need;to;be;soothed,;or;struggle
with;transitioning;from;one;activity;to
the next. They may be self-absorbed
and;not;show;an;interest;in;the;world
around them. They often show some
form;of;difficulty;with;body;awareness,
as;if;they;are;uncomfortable;inside;their
own bodies. This may further isolate
them;from;their;peers.
Academic difficulties might also be
evident;in;reading;and;math;as;well;as
writing, communication, and speech.
Handwriting;might;be;sloppy;and;poorly
spaced; verbal and written expression
may be poor or completely lacking.
Communicating one’s thoughts onto
paper might seem nearly impossible.
Speech;might;be;impaired.;A;child;may
use;emotions;instead;of;words;to;express
her needs. Receptive listening (
receiv-ing;sound;and;processing;the;informa-tion);may;not;be;fully;developed.;Since
expressive;listening;(response;to;sounds
received that manifest through speech
and;writing);follows;receptive;listening
in;normal;development,;it;too;may;be
underdeveloped.;My;daughter;was;un-able;to;follow;more;than;one;instruction
at;a;time,;repeated;words;inaccurately,
confused;letters;when;writing;and;read-ing,;and;inaccurately;discerned;middle
syllables;in;words.;These;problems;were
rooted;at;the;foundation.
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Children;with;delayed
development;typically
experience;social,
behavioral,;and/or
emotional;imbalances.
