Psychological Correlates of Developmental Delays in Preschool Children

Perinatal, Cognitive, Linguistic, and Social-emotional Correlates of Developmental Delay in Polish Preschool Children From a Biopsychosocial Perspective

The goal of this observational study is to investigate perinatal, cognitive, linguistic and social-emotional correlates of developmental delays of preschool children.

The study group consist of minimal 500 children between 3 and 6 years of age who will be examined by qualified diagnosticians. Participants will be evaluated with tasks related to the studied variables: cognitive functioning, linguistic skills and social-emotional functioning. Furthermore informations regarding social-emotional functioning of children, will be collected from parents.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Is there a relationship between perinatal factors and risk of occurrence of developmental delay disorder?
2. Is there a specific pattern of cognitive functioning in preschool children with indicated developmental delay disorder?
3. Is there a specific pattern of social-emotional functioning in preschool children with indicated developmental delay disorder?
4. Do gender and age moderates specific patterns of cognitive and socialemotional functioning in the studied groups?

Researchers will compare the following groups of children between 3 and 6 years old:

1. With perinatal risks factors

2. With developmental delay disorder:

   1. children with early intervention
   2. children with delayed speech development

3. Control group

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged 3 to 6 years at the time of assessment.
• Attendance at preschool education.
• Written informed consent provided by a parent or legal guardian.
• Ability to participate in standardized psychological assessment.
• Assignment to one of the predefined study cohorts based on developmental history and clinical information.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age below 3 years or above 6 years.
• Severe acute medical condition preventing participation.
• Severe uncorrected sensory impairment interfering with valid assessment.
• Lack of parental informed consent.