Development Milestones: The One Thing That Could be Holding Your Child Back

Kylie Ralph
3 days ago
6 min read

When it comes to Developmental Delays in children, there are three main frustrations we have as leaders in the field of neurodevelopment, that I bet frustrate you too as a parent.

Three Common Frustrations About Developmental Delays

First, the vast majority of red flags and real root causes of developmental delays are frequently and often entirely missed by conventional healthcare.

Second, even when the delays with gross motor development, fine motor skills, speech, or sensory, social, and behavioural issues show up and a referral is made for early intervention and so forth – there is still no one provider who can help the parents make sense of what’s going on and tie everything together.

And third, when a child is already going through a full complement of traditional therapies but failing to make much progress, reaching plateaus, and still struggling; parents don’t know where to turn to find out what’s going on and what else can be done to help.

The Rising Rates of Developmental Delays

Recent Australian data indicates that approximately 11% of children aged 0–14 years have a disability, with higher prevalence rates observed among boys at 16.4% compared to girls at 10.7% (ABS, 2022). Developmental delays, encompassing conditions such as speech or motor delays, are a significant aspect of this broader category. While exact figures for developmental delays are not specified, they contribute to the overall disability statistics.

It's common for parents to monitor their child's development closely, observing milestones like tummy time, rolling over, sitting up, walking, and talking. This vigilant observation is part of ensuring that children receive the support they need to thrive.

Unfortunately, for as much as we rightfully worry and keep a close eye on things during these critical developmental stages for our children, it seems like again and again any concerns we have are often dismissed, and we’re just told “don’t worry they’ll grow out of it” when deep down we know that’s probably not true.

Why More Kids Are Falling Behind

Sadly we’re seeing an explosion the rates of developmental delays in today’s highly stressed and highly toxic world our kids are conceived, more into and growing up in, and that 11% number mentioned before really doesn’t do it justice for how many infants and toddlers we truly see off track with their motor milestones, sensory processing, speech, and so much more every day in our practice.

If you’re thinking something’s not quite right, or even if you’ve already received a diagnosis or referral of some sort and have started traditional therapies like PT, OT, and Speech – this video is for YOU. Every day parents report to us that they’re happy to have their child in these therapies, but they’re concerned that they've plateaued or are not progressing at the speed or pace they’d like.

If that any of this sounds like you or your child, then this video is especially made for you. Parents deserve to know more, and they deserve to know the truth about developmental delays. Let’s dig in and deliver exactly that for your family.

Why Skipping Developmental Milestones Matters

Over the 30 years I’ve helped many babies and children. So many times, I have mums say to me that their child ‘skipped crawling’ and went straight onto walking. Almost, like their child was ahead in their milestones. Or that their child was struggling with crawling, so they simply encouraged their child to walk along furniture or by holding out their fingers for support. Or even their health provider said that was not a cause for concern. Unfortunately, so many parents are unaware, that ‘skipping’ a milestone means that other problems will show further down the track. Let’s just stay on skipping crawling for instance, but it could be any milestone…

Why Crawling Is So Important

Crawling helps strengthen the shoulders, back and core muscles, which are necessary for further gross motor development.

Crawling helps strengthen the tiny intrinsic muscles in the hand, facilitating development of the arches in the hands. These muscles are also important for emerging fine motor skills.

Crawling assists the child in learning the cross-crawl action of the arm with the opposite leg (Necessary for all sport, especially for running!)

Crawling also has a role in development of the Neuro-visual-motor system as it requires scanning the environment with the eyes and moving the body at the same time.

As you can see missing out even just this one milestone alone will contribute to a plethora of problems in numerous other areas!

What’s Really Holding Kids Back

Okay, let’s really dig into the science and statistics a little further…

We’re going to start with, what’s really Holding Kids Back and then Understanding The Perfect Storm.

Developmental delays aren't just random occurrences or genetic “bad luck”. There are 3 main factors that we see almost every single time in children with developmental delays, and we call them the "Perfect Storm": Fertility challenges and prenatal stress, Birth trauma and interventions and early exposure to antibiotics and other environmental toxins.

Next, Birth Trauma, the Brainstem, and the “Air Traffic Control” Connection

Common interventions like forceps, vacuum extraction, and C-sections can cause physical injury and damage to the brainstem, neurospinal system, and vagus nerve. Both the autonomic and central nervous system have their “Air Traffic Control” in the head, neck, and brainstem region – which is directly responsible for essential developmental functions like motor planning, tone, coordination, and sensory processing. These physical birth injuries lead to subluxation, dysregulation, and dysautonomia.

Why Traditional Approaches Often Plateau

PTs, OTs, and Speech Therapists are trained to assess the muscles and soft tissues, not necessarily neurological function and the brainstem or the neuro-spinal system – so they often miss the underlying neurological dysfunction plus subluxation, that is usually the foundational cause of the developmental delays and missed motor milestones. This explains why progress often stalls despite various interventions. The neurological dysfunction and subluxation, where the stress is stuck in the nervous system, IS SIMPLY NOT ADDRESSED.

The Foundation of A Child's Development.

Proper nervous system function is essential. Even seemingly simple milestones like crawling play crucial roles. Skipping milestones can and do impact future development.

We’re going to take a moment to have a look at the Neurological Developmental Hierarchy, which is the Process of Neuro-Development. It’s super important to understand how this then relates to the Hierarchy of Healing. The order of healing.

How Neurological Development Progresses

As human beings we function neurologically and therefore we are built from the Central Nervous System out. In utero, the first systems to develop in a foetus are the Brain, Brain Stem and then the Spinal Cord. These are the first to develop from 3 weeks post conception. From this foundation everything else grows and develops.

In utero, the next system to develop is the Neuro-motor system. The motor system is the movement system, which is in essence your muscles. As soon as baby is born, he or she should take a breath. This process uses the motor system.

Then baby sucks and swallows, which is the Neuro-Muscular pathway. Then poop, the bowel is a smooth muscle, therefore the neuro-motor system is necessary here too. Over the next 6-8 months it’s primarily the development of the Neuro-muscular system; feeding, head control, sitting, crawling, walking and even speech and so forth.

So, functionally the energy from our brain is growing, coordinating and controlling this system.

Then we further develop our gut and immune system. These systems develop, including the gut with it’s incredible microbiome, learn through our environment AND the Nervous System.

And the final system to develop is the HIGHER BRAIN, which is the ability to form emotional connections, behaviour, learning, problem solving, speech etcetera.

Why We Must Heal from the Foundation Up

If your child experiences any health challenges, especially long-lasting ones, we need to address things in this order. From the foundation up.

Even if we seek other health professionals. It’s a matter of whether we need these professionals now or next, a nutritionist or naturopath, counselling, speech therapist, physical therapy, mouth or jaw devices and so on.

How Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care Helps

If you're tired of watching your child struggle and feeling like something's missing in their care, it's time to consider a different approach. At House of Chiropractic, we are leaders in Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care that addresses the foundational causes of developmental delays; nervous system dysfunction, and dysregulation; Stress stuck in the nervous system.

We use cutting edge technology called the INSiGHT Scans to actually measure and find your child’s exact level, location, and severity of subluxation, stress STUCK ON, and neurological dysfunction, so you know exactly what’s holding them back developmentally.

Take Action Early

To really know what’s going on with your child – the INSiGHT Scans are essential to run so you’re no longer left guessing but can address the exact problem right at its core.

Take action sooner rather than later as infants and young children are developing at a rapid rate and every month that their developmental delays remain can hold them back in a major way.

Visit our website or schedule a consultation and INSiGHT Scan for your child. Let's work together to unlock your child's developmental potential and set them on the path to thriving.

Remember, your child's future isn't set in stone. With the right support and understanding of the causes, patterns and how to change this, remarkable progress is possible. Reach out today to learn more about how we can help your child overcome their developmental challenges.