normal for child to be 10mo behind if having cronic(chronic) condition

hello

   we have a 27mo that was assessed at 25mo to be 15-16mo in communication,reception, and cognition, she did well motor skills scoring 21 and 23mo.  but is it common for a child with cronic (chronic) problems such as former PDA and cardiomyopathy, current scoliosis 25 deg curve, and a partial sacal agenesis to have a development that is over all behind including issues of behavior such as starting to put iteams in her mouth, spinning, and some ocational head banging.  also with her missing part of her sacrum how can we tell if she coukd have a nurologicl bladder, we think she may be ready to potty train she is aware when she is haing a bowel movement but she does'nt tell us she wet till afterwards when she hands us the wet diapers any ideas on toilet training as well?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Lorene,

The inconsistency in development does not seem at all unusual. It might be useful at this point, depending on how the earlier assessments were conducted, to have your daughter evaluated by a developmental pediatrician, developmental psychologist and speech/language professional.

Relative to toilet training, I'd be patient, and simply introduce the notion as you would with any child. Your daughter is beginning to show some of the signs of readiness. Just don't become too absorbed in the matter.

Dr. KDK (http://www.HeadDocs.com)