At Ladder Health, we help children aged 0 to 6 maximize their potential by addressing developmental delays early and effectively. A developmental delay is the absence of a set of skills that would typically be expected within a certain age range. It is important to recognize that every child’s developmental path is unique and that our understanding of typical childhood development is informed by personal, familial, and cultural contexts. At Ladder Health, we recognize the nuance that exists when evaluating a child’s development status and seek to work collaboratively with families to examine the child’s ability within the context of their family life and community. 

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Developmental Delay: the absence of a set of skills that would typically be expected within a certain age range

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How is a Delay Determined?

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Ladder Health’s Intake Screener flags children who might have a delay in at least one of our 8 identified developmental domains. Children who meet the criteria established by our team at Boston Children’s Hospital are then virtually evaluated by a clinician in the relevant area. Our clinician will then determine whether therapy is needed to help the child achieve their developmental milestones. 

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Ladder Health’s clinical team does not make diagnoses, but may refer a child to an outside specialist if indicated. In fact, the cause of many developmental delays is often unknown. Developmental delays are relatively common and many can be addressed with intentional changes to the families daily routines.

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What are the Developmental Domains?

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Gross Motor: the larger movements that our body makes in space.

• A delay in gross motor development may look like an infant who has trouble rolling or a child who can’t keep up with their friends on the playground. 

Fine Motor: the smaller movements we use to manipulate our world.

• A delay in fine motor development may look like an infant who can’t pick up a blueberry or a child who has difficulty taking off clothes.

Speech & Language: the production and understanding of communication

• A delay in speech and language development may look like a toddler who doesn’t respond to their name or a child who has trouble understanding new words. 

Activities of Daily Living (ADL): participation in personal care tasks

• A delay in ADL development may look like a toddler who doesn’t attempt to brush their own teeth or a child who is not potty trained.

Sensory: the processing of sound, touch, taste, smell, and vision

• A delay in sensory development may look like an infant who doesn’t respond to loud noises (or is made very upset by loud noises) or a child who mouths objects outside of mealtime.

Cognitive & Executive Functioning: the process of thinking, learning, and problem solving

• A delay in cognitive development may look like an infant who doesn’t pay attention to faces or a child who can only engage with an activity for a few minutes at a time.

Social-Emotional & Behavioral: the process of building relationships and interacting with others

• A delay in social-emotional & behavioral development may look like an infant who doesn’t relax when held by a caregiver or a child who doesn’t play pretend.

Feeding: the process of eating and drinking

• A delay in feeding development may look like an infant who leaks milk from their mouth while taking a bottle or a child who struggles to chew certain solid foods.

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When Should I Seek Help?

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Sometimes caregivers are informed of a potential developmental delay by their pediatrician or become concerned when they notice their child isn’t showing the same skills as their peers. Sometimes caregivers just have a gut feeling that something is not right. Taking our intake screener is a quick and easy way to learn more about your child’s development. If needed, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with a clinician who can prove an in-depth evaluation of your child. Take our intake screener here to get started.

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