Developmental delay: Is your child simply progressing at their own rate, or is there reason to be concerned?

July 15, 2026

Every child develops differently, but if they’re not meeting certain milestones, your pediatrician should weigh in sooner rather than later. Our genetic counselors answered these 5 questions about developmental delay and when intervention may be necessary.

When should parents be concerned about their child not meeting milestones?

Developmental delay can present at different stages. Some children may meet their milestones as expected, then plateau, or even regress, losing some previously achieved skills. It’s also important to know that all children, even siblings, develop on their own timeline and slower development doesn’t always indicate a larger problem. We follow the CDC’s guidelines for developmental milestones, but at the end of the day, parents are the best gauges of their children’s abilities. If a parent has any concern that their child is not developing as expected, they should discuss these concerns with their pediatrician.

Are there certain milestones that are better indicators of developmental delay?

In genetics, we take the whole child into account: looking at not only motor development, like crawling and walking, but also speech development and cognitive development. Developmental delay doesn’t look the same in every child and some children may be delayed in only a few areas. We tend to really take note of certain milestones, like significantly delayed walking, not using words intentionally, or not starting to learn things like body parts or colors.

How does a genetic counselor help a family navigate concerns about their child’s development?

Genetic counselors help families look at their child’s entire developmental picture and assess if genetic testing may be helpful and what the best test could be. Our goal is to work collaboratively with families to help them help their children.

Why is it important to determine if the cause for a delay in development is tied to genetics or something else?

Knowing the underlying cause of developmental delay can help:

make sure a child is receiving care from the appropriate specialists and receiving helpful therapies
identify if children are at risk for any other health issues now or in the future
determine if other family members may need to be screened
determine if there is a chance future children could have the same condition.

Why is early intervention important when it comes to identifying developmental delays?

Early intervention is important for all children with developmental delay, whether a genetic cause is identified or not. Starting therapies early gives that child the best possible chance at adapting and continuing to make progress in their development. Of course, this therapy plan looks different for every child, so parents should make sure that they’re asking questions of their child’s care team. Ultimately, the best predictor of success is having someone, like a parent or loved one, who advocates to make sure that child gets all the services and support they need to live their healthiest, happiest and most successful life.

It’s better to start having these conversations with the pediatrician and other members of a child’s care team as soon as you notice concerns about your child’s development. There is no question your child’s team hasn’t heard before, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Genetic counselors Tahnee Causey and Julie Bayer-Vile collaborated to provide the content for this article.