Baltimore Developmental Disabilities Due to Birth Injuries
Preventable birth injuries that are a result of negligent healthcare professionals are among the most common causes of developmental delays in children. While these delays occur during childhood, they can also result in long-term disabilities that require extensive therapy, medical treatment, and special education services. Many families simply do not have the resources for this specialized care and they do not know where to turn. Our Baltimore developmental disabilities lawyer can help your family claim the financial compensation you need to care for your child.
Understanding Developmental Delays
Developmental delays occur when children have multiple or ongoing delays when trying to reach certain milestones. Delays can affect a child’s motor skills, cognitive abilities, and their behavior. For example, a child may experience a developmental delay if they start walking or talking at a much later date than other children their age.
As children age, developmental delays can manifest into behavioral or learning issues that are much more serious. For example, when a child suffers from developmental delays and attends school, they may have problems writing, reading, or they may exhibit behavioral problems. Any of these can result in the child being held back a grade or even expelled from certain programs. Some children can overcome their developmental delays and catch up with their children. However, when a child continues to experience delays, it is often a sign of lifelong disabilities.
What Birth Injuries Cause Developmental Delays?
Birth injuries are any condition or harm to a child during pregnancy, the birthing process, or immediately after being born. Birth injuries are not always caused bymedical malpractice, but in many cases they are. The most common birth injuries that cause developmental delays are as follows:
- Oxygen deprivation: When the brain does not get enough blood or oxygen, it can result in a very serious birth injury that causes developmental delays. Oxygen deprivation is often caused by monitoring errors, misuse of labor-enhancing drugs, prolonged labor, and other medical mistakes.
- Traumatic birth injuries: A traumatic birth injury occurs when excessive force is used during delivery. This force is often the result of a breech delivery, the use of forceps or a vacuum extractor, and shoulder dystocia. In the vast majority of cases, the use of excessive force is considered medical malpractice.
- Infections: Infections suffered by the mother or child during pregnancy or birth can lead to many different types of developmental delays. The most common infections that result in disability are group B strep, neonatal sepsis, and neonatal meningitis.
Unfortunately, the above are just a few types of injury that can result in developmental delays. Any time a child sustains a birth injury and experiences developmental delays later in life, it is important to speak to a Baltimore birth injury lawyer.
Call Our Birth Injury Lawyer in Baltimore Today
If your child suffers from developmental delays after being harmed during pregnancy or birth, our Baltimore birth injury lawyers can provide the sound legal advice you need. At Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC, our skilled attorneys can determine if the injury was due to medical malpractice and if so, help your family claim the full compensation you deserve. Call us today at 410.567.0800 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
