Cognitive skills allow you to think, learn, and solve problems. Cognitive delay, a type of developmental delay, means a child falls behind their peers in cognitive development. In most cases, a delay is temporary and can be corrected with therapy. For example, a speech delay may be caused by hearing loss from an ear infection, or a physical delay may be caused by a long hospitalization. A permanent cognitive problem is called a cognitive disability.

Cognitive delays can be caused by brain injuries, illnesses, or genetic abnormalities. In many instances, it's not possible to identify the cause of a cognitive delay. The earlier a cognitive delay is discovered, the sooner your child can get the care they need to get back on track.

University of Miami Health System pediatric developmental-behavioral specialists are experienced in assessing children’s cognitive development and providing comprehensive treatment for cognitive delay. Your child gets personalized attention to help them gain new skills to overcome cognitive challenges.

Tests

Physical Exam
Your child’s doctor conducts a complete physical exam to diagnose a cognitive delay, including gathering your child’s full health history. Learning about your child’s history and development helps your child’s care team learn what caused the delay and determine which therapies will offer your child the best results.

Treatments

Therapy
Your child’s developmental-behavioral specialist may recommend one or more types of therapy, depending on your child’s needs. They may receive speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or behavior therapy.

Why Choose UHealth?

World-class health care for children. Children and their families come from all over the world to receive top-quality care from our compassionate team of pediatric specialists. Your child receives personalized attention from doctors who are sought out for their expertise.

Research leads to better treatments for your child. In addition to seeing patients, our doctors are involved in leading-edge research at one of the nation’s top medical schools, Miller School of Medicine. Through this research, we have access to innovative treatments and procedures more quickly than other facilities. Our team uses the latest technologies and research findings to provide your child with superior, personalized care.

HealthySteps program helps children meet milestones. All our general pediatrics offices use the HealthySteps program to ensure that children are developing appropriately for their age — physically, emotionally, and psychologically. When there are issues or concerns, we work closely with patients and their families to connect them with support resources.