“Common Developmental Delay” in Full-term Children: A Common Neurological Profile to Aid in Clinical Diagnosis

Abstract

Depending on the course, developmental disorders can be divided into three groups. In clinical practice of child neurology, developmental delay of unknown etiology without regression is probably the most common group. To date, no reports have described commonly encountered developmental delay in full-term children. Based on what is known and longitudinal clinical observation, in this review, we propose and describe a common neurological profile in a homogenous population of children with “common developmental delay”. In authors’ view, adherence to the proposed profile will (1) identify common developmental delay, (2) differentiate it from other treatable conditions, (3) optimize the need for laboratory investigation, (4) facilitate clinical interventions in timely manner, (5) avoid a legal implication of delay in management, and (6) allow to define the developmental status of subjects for clinical research. Future studies should analyze prospectively the diagnostic significance of the proposed common neurological profile in full-term children with “common developmental delay”.