Dr Nivetha M
ABSTRACT
Global developmental delay refers to a condition where children experience significant delays in reaching developmental milestones. It is defined as a significant delay in two or more domains of development compared to what is considered normal for their age group. There is a delay in physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. Conventional treatments such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy are effective for managing symptoms associated with global development delay. However, homoeopathy has gained attention as an alternate approach to conventional medical treatments for global developmental delay. Various studies have been shown that homoeopathy improves the cognitive abilities in children with global developmental delay.
KEYWORDS- Global developmental delay, intellectual disability, delayed milestones homoeopathy.
INTRODUCTION
Developmental milestones are the expected skills that children should acquire at certain ages. These include language, developmental, social interaction skills, self-help abilities and gross motor skills such as crawling and walking. In global developmental delay cases, children fail to reach these milestones within the expected time from their age group. Global developmental delay impacts the quality the life of affected children, making it difficult for them to interact with others and adopt to new situations.
The American Academy of Paediatrics defines Global developmental delay as “a condition characterised by significant delays in two or more developmental domains.”
The causes of global developmental delay vary but they frequently depend on the underlying pathology which could range from chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s Syndrome which causes intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy caused by brain injury during birth trauma, autism spectrum disorders due to genetic mutations, foetal alcohol syndrome disorder due to maternal alcohol consumption and malnutrition etc.
DIAGNOSIS AND ASSESSMENT
Early diagnosis is crucial for effective management strategies. An accurate history from caregivers along with thorough medical examination, hearing test, vision test, MRI of brain can help determine if there are any underlying genetic abnormalities or environmental factors that may be contributing to global developmental delay.
PREVIOUS STUDIES ON HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY
The effectiveness of homoeopathy has been studied in various conditions including autism spectrum disorder which share some similarities with global developmental delay due to delayed developmental is sometimes observed among patients with autism spectrum disorder. A study conducted by Naikwee Ammakkanavar examined 8 cases who received homoeopathic treatment over twelve months period has improvements noted across different domains such as cognitive, language and social skills.
A study conducted in India on children with global developmental delay showed improvements in cognitive and motor development after six months of homeopathic treatment compared to the control group that received conventional therapies. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of homoeopathic medicines by evaluating their impact on children with global developmental delay. The sample size used was 50 children aged between 2-6 years old with diagnosis of global developmental delay.
Data collected involved gathering of information from parents or caregivers using questionnaire, direct observation and standardised developmental assessments. Statistical analysis techniques included descriptive statistics like means and frequencies for demographic data and inferential statistics like t-tests for pre and post treatment comparisons. The results indicate that homoeopathic remedies can improve outcomes related to cognitive, physical, socio-emotional development in children diagnosed with global developmental delay.
After six months of treatment using individualised homeopathic remedies based on symptoms presented by each child participant, significant improvements were seen across various domains such as communication skills (t-value=6.6012; p-value <0.001), socialization abilities (t-value=5.3103; p-value <0.001) and gross motor function (t-value=4.0118; p value<0.01). However, it should be noted all participants also underwent regular occupational therapy sessions during this period.
A study conducted by Sarada Krishna Homoeopathic Medical College, the cases of developmental delay in head holding were selected from patients attending the outpatient department. Total 10 cases were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study was conducted to show the effectiveness of the homoeopathic medicine in developmental delay especially in head holding and other milestones. Out of 10 cases, 8 patients were with marked improvement. The author states that Homoeopathic medicine was more effective in global developmental delayed child especially in delayed head holding. Homeopathic medicines reduce the child’s disability and improving healthy generations.
Another research study has suggested that homoeopathic remedies could potentially improve cognitive abilities in children with global developmental delay when used alongside conventional medical treatments such as speech therapy, among others.
Homoeopathic medicines selected as per constitutional symptoms help overcome developmental delay to a large extent to aid normal development of the child. Some of the medicines for developmental delay are Calcarea Carb, Calcarea Phos, Baryta Carb, Tuberculinum, Carcinosin, Silicea, Aethusa Cynapium etc.
Interventions for global developmental delay usually involve multi-disciplinary care approaches which include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and early intervention programmes tailored to address each child’s specific needs.
Most conventional treatments aim at improving gross motor function by addressing muscle weakness or tone issues via appropriate exercises while occupational or speech therapies target fine motor skills and language acquisition respectively.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, global developmental delay is a condition where children exhibit delayed growth across multiple domains of development that may result from various genetic and environmental factors. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical for managing symptoms associated with this disorder.
Although more research is needed to ascertain the efficacy of homoeopathic medicines, existing studies suggest promising results when used along with conventional approaches.
In summary, practitioners should take a personalised approach that combines both conventional and homoeopathic treatment based on child’s specific needs whole parents must remain informed about all available options so they can make informed decisions regarding their child’s health care plan.
REFERENCES
- Vyas, T. and Rathour, B.L. (2021) Scope of homoeopathy in management of delayed milestones in children, Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Innovation. Available at: https://jmedpharm.com/index.php/home/article/view/103 (Accessed: 30 July 2023).
- Shevell M;Majnemer A;Platt RW;Webster R;Birnbaum R; Developmental and functional outcomes at school age of preschool children with Global Developmental Delay [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; 2005 [cited 2023 Jul 30]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16225809/
- Mary DBH, Sevaghan KS, Sathish Kumar, Mary BT [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2023 Jul 30]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371081610_EVALUATE_THE_SCOPE_OF_HOMOEOPATHY_IN_IMPROVING_HEAD_HOLDING_IN_CHILDREN_WITH_GLOBAL_DEVELOPMENTAL_DELAY-_CASE_SERIES_STUDY
- M; S. Global developmental delay and mental retardation or intellectual disability: Conceptualization, evaluation, and etiology [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; 2008 [cited 2023 Jul 30]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18929052/
- Vasudevan P, Suri M. A clinical approach to developmental delay and intellectual disability [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; 2017 [cited 2023 Jul 30]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6297696/
- Master.J.Farokh- Homoeopathic management of delayed milestones- Homoeopathic heritage, September 2011.
- Homoeopathy for mother and child care- Volume 2.
- Scope of Homoeopathy in management of delayed milestones in children. Tanay Vyas and Bhagya Laxmi Rathour.
Dr.Nivetha.M
MD(Hom) Scholar
Under the guidance of Dr.Muddassir Mulla
Department of Paediatrics, Government Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore
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