aetiology
Last edited 01/2021 and last reviewed 01/2021
Delay in development may be caused by:
- deprivation
- idiopathic, which usually affects one field of development only. It may be familial or constitutional.
- learning disabilities, which will tend to result in delay in a number of areas
- specific abnormalities will result in delay in that area, and may impede other development. Examples include blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.
mental handicap (previously used term now replaced by learning disability)