Being a witness to a child’s wonder and adventurousness when it comes to learning new things is one of the world’s best things. A lot of this growth happens in the first few years of their little lives. However, parents who have a child with a developmental delay may feel overwhelmed when impacting their child’s development.
There are things that a parent who is dealing with this situation can do to help their child with their progress. Here are some suggestions that you might want to incorporate into your daily routine.
Play
There are numerous games and activities that you can use to help develop these skills. Taking time out to play with tactile toys, like slime or silly putty can develop fine motor skills. You can have them help you work in the garden, too, because digging in the dirt helps with motor skills.
Head out for a day at the playground and let them get into some fun at the playground. Interacting with other kids and doing activities that require motor skills will help them build those critical skills. It also helps them with social skills, like sharing and understanding the importance of rules.
Use Pictures
Children with delayed development can find it hard to understand verbal instructions. Their lack of understanding may be frustrating to you, but it is just as frustrating for them. You may need to try different ways of teaching them and explaining things.
It might be helpful to take a more visual approach to impart information to your child. You can use charts or pictures to detail their daily routine and tasks you need them to do. Then, when you give them the instructions, you can point as you detail what you need from them.
Communication
Communication is vital not only with the child but with the individuals who work with the child. This can include teachers or development counselors. By keeping them in the loop and understanding what they are doing on their end, you will be able to better support each other in helping your child develop the skills they need in their life.
You will also want to stay in constant contact with your doctors, as well, so that you are up to date on the child’s checkups. This will also help make sure that you know the development milestones that you and the child are working on reaching.
Concluding Thoughts
Having a child with developmental delays is challenging, but it is not something that can’t be worked with. Using the suggestions above, you can give your children confidence and help them achieve the skills they need.