Is Developmentally Delayed the same thing as having a Learning Disorder?

Question

My son acquired this "label" in Preschool, kept it in Kindergarten, and is due for an IEP meeting very soon now that he is in 1st grade.

Answer 1

No it is not the same.
Developmentally delayed means that your son has not acquired certain benchmarks of development within the normal age range of meeting them.

Learning Disorder is a general term that implies a child has some difficulty learning.

I understand your fear of the "label" but think of it this way---------
An IEP is an Individual Education Plan. Where there are specific goals that you, your child, and your child's teachers want him to achieve. Having an IEP means lessons have to be individualized for your child and will receive any and all help in achieving it. Your child will receive more specific instruction and given time to master new skills. He will also be placed in the least restrictive environment. Which means he will be place where he will do his best and the environment will be best for him.

If it is a speech delay your child will receive speech therapy.
If it is physical delays your child may receive physical therapy.

Don't view this as a negative-------- view it as a positive thing. Getting help before he falls too far behind and if there happens to be a learning disability then they will catch it and adjust his learning environment.

Just added after reading responses------

The No Child Left Behind Act was implamented to ensure that all children recieve the best possible education. It holds the teachers and schools accountable for what their students learn or don't learn.
Although I do not agree with everything about the NCBA, I do like the fact that if the school fails my child I can take him elsewhere. This holds true for any child.

Answer 2

No, there are not the same. A developmental delay refers to a child who is falling behind developmental norms in cognitive, language, social/emotional, or motor (fine and gross motor) development. Children who are diagnosed wth developmental delay may eventually have a learning disorder. A learning disorder can be in the area(s) of reading, writing, math. These are typically referred to as "specific learning disorder" on an IEP and refer to some discrepency between IQ and student performance.

If a child has a developmental delay it can be measured in months or years. This means if your child is demonstrating a 2 years developmental delay when he is six years-old, his performance on tasks will indicate his developmental age is four-years old.

If your child was diagnosed in preschool then it would be hard to diagnose a learning disorder because at his age most kids are just learning to read, write and do math. That is quite often the reason for developmental delay because she criteria for meeting a specific learning disability are not yet met. Diagnoses received in preschool can eventually change as the child matures and begins to learn academic skills.

To sum up...they are not interchangeable terms. The developmental delay may indicate needs that require speech, occupational or physical therapies. In these cases, children are taught strategies to catch up or compensate or receive specially designed instruction in the classroom (modifications).

Good luck to you and your little boy!

Answer 3

These are both general labels and include a wide variety of learning and life issues and individuals also vary in terms of the degree or amount of disability and need for special education or intervention.

Many children are now being identified and helped with therapies and special education at an early age. Since it can be difficult to pinpoint learning issues precisely when a child is in preschool, the developmental delay category is useful because there are now very effective ways to stimulate and prepare "delayed" kids while also giving them more time to develop. This is better than just waiting because, with special attention, many of these kids can get to the point where they no longer need any special help or accomodation.

When a student is in 1st or 2nd grade, and more experienced in reading and other school skills, specific learning disabilities, giftedness, and or special needs can be better identified.

The IEP meeting is ideally a team effort including teachers parents & specialists to design a learning program to meet the student's specific needs. Discussing your son's needs may be very emotional and you will be better able to work with the team if you are prepared. At this point in the process, you need to bring your concerns and observations to the IEP meeting - write down your top 3 questions and a few observations or concernas that you see in his learning at home while doing homework, playing and iteracting with family & friends. You have information about your son that will help the teachers & specialists at the meeting guide you and your son through the process. This process will be ongoing and the plan will change as needed, and you will have time to consider options.

Be prepared to listen to teachers & others explain what they observe in the classroom. They should have some ideas about what helps and what does not appears to help. Further testing might be suggested to pinpoint areas of need - you will have an opportunity to discuss the results and the testing is not usually stressful to the child.

Don't worry as much about the labels used as the techniques and special help being offered. Everyone on the IEP team has the goal of providing the best opportunity for your son to learn and develop socially and emotionally while avoiding either extreme boredom or stressful frustration and feeling like a failure. Your knowledge of him as an individual, especially knowing what motivates or interests him is key to the success of this process.

You are his advocate, the one who really knows him and protects him and fights for his rights. Whether he needs continual special needs attention for the rest of his life (like my brother who is autistic and seriously impared), or just needs help for a few years to get caught up developmentally or something in between -- you will need to learn about his diagnosis, understand what the test results mean, and help come up with creative ways to encourage his success! This takes a lot of patience and love, but it is really rewarding and I wish you and your son well!

Answer 4

A Developmental Delay is a KIND of Learning Disorder. "Learning Disability/Disorder" is a broad term that covers all the various types of learning difficulties, which include dyslexia or reading disability (also Specific language disability), non-verbal learning disability, autism, visual impairment, auditory impairment, auditory processing, physical handicaps and others like Pervasive Developmental Delay and Developmental Delay.

A developmental delay basically means that your child is not learning as quickly as other children his age and will most likely always lag behind, although some can do some catching up later in high school or after graduation. He can and should learn to do everything his peers can, but he'll just do so later and more slowly.

What you need to watch for is that the school isn't just sticking your son into a "special ed. backwater" with all the behavior problem kids. You have a right to have your child "mainstreamed," that is attend regular classes and have the curriculum adjusted to meet his needs. There are many adaptations that the school is required to provide under the IDEA law--Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, sometimes called "Wright's law"--the school will tell you of basic rights, like meetings, but probably won't tell you if your child will qualify for a personal aide or what other specific things you can ask for.

Network with other special ed. parents to find out what their child is getting and learn how to become an effective advocate for your son. Don't be intimidated by the school!!! The book listed below has good advice and strategies on how to deal with school personnel, especially if you think they are not doing what's best for your child.

Also check with your local Learning Disabilities Association. They should have lots of resources and advice.

Also be aware that the "No Child Left Behind" law requires that ALL children become proficient in all school subjects. This is really a difficulty for schools because children like your son will not likely be able to become proficient. HOWEVER, most kids with learning disabilities can do better than they are and schools need to do a better job all around. Lot's of times schools say, "He can't do it," but aren't really giving a student the right kind of instruction which would allow him to do better.

Answer 5

No, they are not the same thing. Do not assume that because a child is developmentally delayed that he/she is likely to process or produce more slowly for the rest of his/her life. A child who is delayed, is just that...."delayed." Once a child reaches the primary level of grade 2 or 3, he/she may then be labeled with a learning "disability," or learning difference. The brain just sees and learns things differently; not necessarily more slowly. Specialized instruction provides strategies that will assist the student in leading a successful life. There are many students with learning differences in reading, math, etc. who are also "labeled" as "gifted." Very often, students with learning differences have very high intelligence, but just need additional time or other accommodations in order to process material/content more effectively and/or efficiently.

You might want to check out the book entitled, THE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR KIDS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES (more helpful in intermediate years), as well as the following sites:

www.nichcy.org (Look for the Parents' Guide re: disability awareness)

www.ldonline.org

www.ldaamerica.org

www.getreadytoread.org

www.ld.org (Excellent)

*I hope this helps,
LMD; Special Educator

Answer 6

No, they are not the same. Developmentally delayed means that the child has a broad spectrum of delays (they are delayed in more than one area of growth- speech, motor delays, cognitive, social-emotional). Learning disorder tends to mean that there is a problem in the cognitive area of development.

Answer 7

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