Global Developmental Delay and Heart Defects
Ages 0 - 5 Years
Do you wonder if your child with a congenital heart defect (CHD) is developing as expected? Has a doctor mentioned that your child might have global developmental delay (GDD)? If so, you probably have a lot of questions. Most children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) learn skills similarly to other children, but some children develop more slowly. Global developmental delay describes some of the children who develop more slowly.
In this section
Global developmental delay (GDD)
Young children with heart defects are more likely than other young children to have delays or disabilities in how they think, learn, and understand. Some of these young children can get intervention, and eventually catch up with their peers. Some children continue to have challenges, but intervention can help them to make as much progress as possible.
Doctors sometimes give young children a diagnosis to describe their delay or disability. A diagnosis can help to capture what a child is experiencing, and it can help the family to get the services they need.
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Understanding the diagnosis
When children younger than 6 years old have trouble with thinking, learning, and understanding, they often are diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay (GDD). When a child has GDD, they are learning skills much slower than other children their age. They do not meet expected milestones in more than one area of thinking and learning, and cannot participate in systematic testing.
GDD is a temporary diagnosis. Doctors usually re-test a child with GDD once they turn 6. Then, doctors can decide if a different diagnosis would describe the child well.
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Do children grow out of GDD?
Young children are changing rapidly, and often have trouble participating in testing. As a result, children diagnosed with GDD can grow up to have widely varied abilities. All children with developmental delays require intervention through Early Intervention (EI) or another program. Intervention services help all children to make as much progress as possible.
Some children with GDD are able to catch up with their peers. Their delays might resolve on their own, and respond well to intervention. Other children with GDD do not catch up with their peers, and have a lifelong disability. Intervention helps them to keep learning new skills and achieving milestones.
When they get older, many children with GDD grow up to have a diagnosis of Intellectual Disability (ID). Parents may want to ask their doctor if they believe their child will eventually have a diagnosis of intellectual disability (ID).
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Children with GDD have just as many strengths as other children. Like all children, they have unique personalities, talents, and goals. While it is important to help children with GDD to make progress in areas of weakness, it is even more important to find time every day to celebrate and enjoy their strengths.
This content was reviewed by a psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital.
Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can receive care from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP). Families from other regions can use the link below to find their local care team.
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