What Causes Developmental Delay?
Reviewed by: My Child Without Limits Advisory Committee November 2009 Developmental delay (which may or may not be eventually diagnosed as a developmental disability) can have many different causes, such as genetic causes (like Down syndrome), or complications of pregnancy and birth (like prematurity or infections). Often, however, the specific cause is unknown. Some causes can be easily reversed if caught early enough, such as hearing loss from chronic ear infections. The damage caused by lead poisoning, which affects one in five urban children, can also be reversed if detected at an early age. In addition to neurological and kidney impairment, lead poisoning has also been been linked with speech delay, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, and behavior disorders.
