Atypical Development

Atypical development refers to situations in which children’s behaviors vary from normal expectations. The behaviors might vary in the timing of their appearance (e.g., late in speaking), in the sequence of their appearance (e.g., walking before crawling), or in their form (e.g., perseverative play with one toy or object). These instances of atypical development can occur in one or more areas of a child’s development: physical, sensory, cognitive, language, or social-emotional.

It is important to note that diversity is expected in normally developing children, both between individuals and within a given child. For example, some children may be stronger in language than in physical skills and one child may have advanced cognitive skills but less well-developed social interaction skills. There is a wide range of normal ...