HOMOEOPATHY FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

Children reach developmental milestones at their own pace. Minor, temporary delays are usually no cause for alarm, but an ongoing delay or multiple delays in reaching milestones can lead to issues later in life. Delay in reaching language, thinking, and motor skills milestones is called developmental delay.

Developmental delay may be caused by a variety of factors, including hereditary, problems with pregnancy, and premature birth. The cause is not always known.

Fine and gross motor skill delay: Fine motor skills include small movements like holding a toy or using a crayon. Gross motor skills require larger movements, like jumping, climbing stairs, or throwing a ball.

Children progress at different rates, but most children can lift their head by 3 months old, sit up by 6 months and walk well before their 2^nd birthday. By age of 5 , most children throw a ball overhand and ride a tricycle.

Exhibiting some of the following symptoms can mean that your child has delays in developing some fine or gross motor functions:

·         Floppy or loose trunk and limbs

·         Stiff hands and legs

·         Limited movement in arms and legs

·         Can’t sit without  support by 9 months old

·         Involuntary reflexes have dominance over voluntary movements

·         Can’t bear weight on legs and stand up by about 1 year.

Falling outside the normal range is not always cause for concern, but if your child is unable to perform tasks within the expected time frame, consult to your doctor.

Speech and language delay :  The  most active time for learning speech and language is the first three years of life, during this time the brain develops and matures.

The language learning process begins when an infant communicates hunger by crying. By 6 months old , most infants can recognize the sounds of basic language . At 12 to 15 months old, infants should be able to say a few simple words, even if they aren’t clear. Most toddlers can understand a few words by the time they are 18 months old. When they reach the age of 13, most children can speak in brief sentence.

Speech and language delay are not the same. Speaking requires the muscle coordination of the vocal tract, tongue, lips, and jaw to make sounds. Speech delay is when a child stutters or has difficulty producing sounds the correct way. A disorder that makes it hard to put syllables together to form words is called apraxia of speech.

A language disorder occurs when children have difficulty understanding what other people say, and cannot express their own thoughts . Language includes speaking, gesturing, signing and writing.

Poor hearing can cause peech and language delay, so a hearing test is conducted for diagnosis.

Autism spectrum disorder : Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological disorder that can impair the child’s ability to communicate and interact with others.  Classic autism usually includes language delay and intellectual disabilities. Symptoms are sometimes obvious early on, but may not be noticed until child reaches 2 or 3 years of age.

Signs and symptoms of autism vary, but usually include delayed peech and language skills and difficulty communicating with others. Each child have a unique pattern of behavior with differing levels of severity. Some symptoms include :

·         Failure to respond to their names

·         Resistance to cuddling or playing with others

·         Lack of facial expression

·         Doesn’t speak or has difficulty speaking , carrying on a conversation , or remembering words and sentences.

·         Performs repetitive movements

·         Develops specific routines

·         Coordination problems

Causes

About 15 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 17 have one or more developmental disability. Most developmental disabilities occur before a child is born but some can occur after birth due to infection , injury, or other factors.

Causes of developmental delay can be difficult to pinpoint and a variety of things can contribute to it. Some conditions are genetic in origin, such as Down syndrome. Infection or other problems during pregnancy and childbirth , as well as premature birth, can also cause developmental delay.

Developmental delay can also be a symptom of other underlying medical conditions, including :

·         Autism spectrum disorders

·         Cerebral palsy

·         Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

·         Landau-Kleffner syndrome

·         Myopathies , including muscular dystrophies

·         Genetic disorders , such as Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES

Homoeopathy today is a rapidly growing system and is being practiced all over the world. It strength lies in its evident effectiveness as it takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual through promotion of inner balance  at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels. When developmental delay    is concerned there are many effective medicines available in Homoeopathy , but the selection depends upon the individuality of the patient , considering mental and physical symptoms.

CALCAREA CARONICA: Calcarea carb is  one of the top remedies for developmental dealy, especially suited to children with red face, flabby muscles, who sweat easily, fat,  and  catches cold very easily.They have large head and abdomen, fontanelles and sutures open, bones soft, develop very slowly. Difficult and delayed dentition.  Profuse sweating during sleep  , especially head and chest.

CALCAREA PHOSPHORICA: Calcarea phos  is another best  remedy for both mental physical development . It is suited to emaciated children, difficult to stand and slow in learning to walk. Children have sunken, flabby abdomen.Cranial bones are thin and brittle ; fontanelles and sutures open too long or close and reopen. Delayed and complicated teething. Children suffering from diarrhea and flatulent complaints. At every attempt to eat, coliky pain in abdomen.  They  often suffer from fractures and growing pains  due to poor nutrition . Also they often suffer from enlarged glands.

CARCINOSIN: Carcinosin arrested the child’s development. Dwarfishness. Malformations, mongolism. Disturbed sleep in children. Child wants to be carried .  Children sleep on their knees and elbows. They suffer from recurrent attacks of severe infection.

BARYTA CARBONICA: Baryta carbonica is best for scrofulous, dwarfish children, who do not grow. They are both mentally and physically weak. Nutritional disturbances are seen in Baryta carb.  Children, shy of strangers. They hides behind the furniture and keeps the hands over face and peeping through the fingers. They are liable to take cold easily, sore throat from cold, glandular disorders. There is a tendency for enlargement of glands with indurations, especially tonsils. They always have a swollen tonsil. Children with large abdomen is another characteristic symptom. Profuse offensive sweat, especially on feet may be found along with other symptoms.

AETHUSA CYNAPIUM: Aethusa cynapium is another effective remedy for development delay, where the child cannot stand, sit up or hold the head up. Children who lack the power to hold their heads up with no particular ailment. Want of power to stand up. Inability to digest milk is a leading symptom of Aethusa cyapium. Diarrhea fro drinking milk. Cannot tolerate milk in any form, it is vomited in large curds as soon as taken, causes weakness and drowsiness. Anguish, crying and show expression of discomfort and discontent.

NATRUM MURIATICUM: Nartrum mur children are poorly nourished on account of digestive disturbances. They  talk late, cross, irritable, cry from slightest cause. Emaciation while living well. Emaciation, descending of neck or abdomen. Emaciation most notable in neck.

SILICEA: Silicea is another effective remedy for developmental delay, where the children are scrofulous, rachitic with large heads.  Defective nutrition, due to imperfect assimilation. Open fontanelles are sutures are seen. Weak ankles, slow in learning to walk.Wasted in body, especially legs.  Distended  , hot abdomen. Profuse sweating on head, but lower than Calcarea carb. Offensive sweat on feet and axillae.

TUBERCULINUM: Tuberculinum is also an effective remedy for development delay , where the child is emaciated rapidly, and losing flesh while eating well. In Tuberculinum there is a strong tendency to catch cold easily without knowing how and where; seems to take cold every time he takes breath of fresh air. They are mentally and physically weak. Excessive sweat at night isa leading symptom of Tuberculinum. Children have recurrent attacks of upper respiratory tract infections and also have night fever.