When this is the case, an appropriate evaluation is necessary to determine whether or not a child will benefit from early intervention and, if so, what kind of intervention. Moreover, an individual comprehensive evaluation that examines at-risk indicators, makes identifications, and advocates service delivery will be appropriate. This is especially true for children with suspected learning disabilities whose profiles frequently exhibit intracognitive differences that can obscure overall abilities. A record of early developmental milestones will provide information about rate of learning, and note should be made of the age at which parents or teachers first observed 'problems'. Hearing and vision.
Some physiological causes affect developmental delays.
Listening comprehension and expressive language. Observation of the child as he or she communicates with parents, teachers and peers demonstrates his or her ability to comprehend single words, sentences, questions and short stories. A child should be able to use words previously learned, express ideas in an organized way, manipulate the sounds that make words, and play rhyming games, as appropriate. Constraints associated with formal testing may be less evident during observation, revealing more of what a child knows or can express. This is a significant area of observation because other symbolic systems, such as reading, writing, and mathematics are based largely on oral language.