Do you feel as though your child is not meeting her milestones as you would expect? If so, her development might be affected by an issue with one or more of her sensory systems. Listed below are the steps you can take to ensure your child’s sensory systems are working towards promoting optimal development.

• Hearing: Your child’s ability to hear is critical to her development for communication and learning. It is not always easy to identify children with listening difficulties due to hearing loss or auditory processing problems. But the earlier a problem is identified and intervention begun, the less serious the effects on the child’s development.
  
  Have your child’s hearing tested at birth and monitored by your pediatrician. If your child has a history of recurrent ear infections, shows poor response to speakers or environmental sounds, or has limited speech for his age, there may be a problem with hearing loss or processing problems. A referral to an audiologist for further assessment is warranted. In a developmental assessment of an infant or young child, an audiologist looks for signs of hearing impairments or loss, usually by placing earphones on a child through which sounds are transmitted at various frequencies.
  
  Early intervention with a speech and language pathologist may also help. Speech pathologists usually have an master’s or doctorate in their specialty, as well as a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) earned by working under supervision. Some states in the U.S. also require a state license. (Link to sections on hearing and speech and milestone concerns)

• Vision: Any problem in a child’s visual system, either from the eyes or brain, can leave a child visually impaired and learning delayed. Again, the earlier a problem is identified and intervention begun, the less serious the effects on the child’s development. All children should have an initial vision screening by one year of age. Your child may have an issue with his visual system if his eyes or surrounding structures have an abnormal appearance, if he brings objects very close to his eyes to see, or if he holds his head in an unusual position when looking at an object. When there are signs of a problem, consult a professional such as a pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, pediatric ophthalmologist, or other vision specialist. (Link to Signs and risk factors of possible vision problems and milestone concerns)
  
  
• Touch: If you notice your baby or child does not seem to distinguish between warm and cold temperatures at bath time or does not seem to register touch or react to pressure or pain, he may have sensory deficits. Children with certain diagnoses may have sensory deficits. For example, a child with spina bifida might have decreased sensation in his legs. Talk with your pediatrician if you have concerns.
  
  
• Sensory processing: Don’t confuse this problem with a deficit in sensory acuity such as a child’s ability to hear or feel touch. With a Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), the child does not have a problem with his sensory acuity; he is not able to organize the sensory signals he is receiving to form an appropriate response or action. He may have attention and regulatory problems that can cause him to appear hyperactive. Or just the opposite may happen: he is completely unaware and unresponsive to his environment. He may have trouble performing everyday tasks. And, without treatment, he may appear to have clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other issues. Talk with your pediatrician if you have concerns. An assessment and intervention with an occupational therapist may be needed.

The sensory system can be affected by certain prenatal exposures such as toxoplasmosis or by other factors, such as prematurity. Discuss any risk factors with your child’s pediatrician. This way, your child can be monitored for early identification and treatment of any sensory issues.

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