Global developmental delay: diagnostic steps for parents

Global Developmental Delay (GDD) is diagnosed when a child has significant delays in two or more developmental areas: motor skills, speech/language, cognitive skills, or social-emotional development. Investigating GDD requires a structured approach: detailed medical history, clinical observation, hearing/vision checks, and sometimes metabolic screening or genetic testing. Finding the cause is vital because some metabolic and genetic causes have specific treatments, and it allows us to set up early therapy programs that optimize development.