Ohio Delayed Development Attorneys
While each child is unique, there are certain developmental milestones that parents and professionals watch for to ensure a child is on the right track. These can include milestones showing physical, cognitive, and behavioral development, including crawling or walking, saying first words, or listening and understanding certain words. There are later milestones, including learning to read or basic math. Some children do not reach these milestones with their peers - or at all - due to developmental delays.
Developmental delays can happen for many reasons. One common cause is injuries suffered during labor and delivery. If you think your child might not be meeting certain milestones due to a birth injury, let our experienced Ohio delayed development lawyers evaluate a possible case.
Causes of Developmental Delays
There are many possible causes of delayed development in your child, and the following are only some birth-related causes.
Traumatic birth injuries
Infants can suffer injuries due to excessive force used by medical professionals during delivery. This is especially common when doctors use forceps or vacuum extractors to deliver a baby. This can result in head trauma and brain damage, which can lead to impairments that can cause delayed development.
Birth asphyxia
This refers to the deprivation of oxygen to a baby during labor and delivery. This can happen for many reasons, including:
- Premature birth
- Prolonged labor
- Delaying an emergency C-section
- Mismanaging fetal distress
- Issues with the placenta
- Problems with an umbilical cord
- Misuse of Pitocin and other labor-enhancing drugs
- Uterine rupture
When oxygen levels drop in a baby’s blood, or the baby experiences restricted blood flow to the brain, it can result in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is a serious brain injury that can lead to cerebral palsy and to delayed development.
Infections
Babies can acquire infections in utero due to infections of the mother. They can also develop such infections following birth. Several types of infections can cause developmental delays, such as:
- Chorioamnionitis
- Group B strep
- Herpes encephalitis
- Neonatal meningitis
- Neonatal sepsis
Some of these infections can be fatal, and infants who do survive can face developmental struggles.
Losses Due to Developmental Delays
In some cases, developmental delays might be concerning, but a child might “catch up” to its peers, given some time and extra effort by parents. However, when developmental delays cannot be resolved, they are considered to be developmental disabilities. A developmental disability is not something a child will grow out of, and it will persist for their lifetime.