Identifying Cultural Differences and Developmental Delays

It is important to distinguish between cultural differences and development deficits so that a child will not be wrongly diagnosed. Many students are wrongfully placed in Special Education classrooms because the instructor lacked knowledge on varying cultural differences. As an educator it is important to know the culture and beliefs of every student in the classroom, this helps distinguish between a developmental deficit and cultural differences.  Some cultures do encourage children to participate in activities that will help improve fine motor skills, an educator should know that this does not mean that the child has a developmental delay, but they should be encouraged to do exercises that will help them develop necessary skills.