Does my child have developmental delay?

Q: I am 24 years old and got married when I was 21. I have hypothyrodism for the past four years. I have a baby girl who is now 3.5 years old but she is still not walking. We have shown her to the doctor. He said that her milestones are delayed. She is moving easliy in a baby walker at home but she is not standing independently on her feet. Could you please give me the solution.

A:Your daughter has developmental delay. Such delay could be associated with mental retardation in later life. Briefly, developmental delay could be because of some problems that the baby had at the time of delivery (e.g. birth asphyxia or failure to breath (cry) immediately after birth or suffocation) or some disease which has affected her brain or spine immediately after birth e.g. meningitis) or some problem that the baby had from the very beginning (intra uterine disorders). It is not possible to say what the cause is without proper examination and tests. Such tests are available in most reputed hospitals and clinics. Even though it is a bit late now to start investigate the cause, I advise that you should still do this to give proper therapy to the child and to plan and prevent similar problems in the next pregnancy. Hypothyroidism in the infant can produce developmental delay and mental retardation, but it can be diagnosed immediately after birth.