Though he's thirty months of age, currently he has the developmental skills of a fourteen-month-old.

"Self-feeding is an important developmental skill that parents should nurture," Zied says.

It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality.

A symphony is more than a display of orchestral know-how and developmental skill; it's a vision of human experience on an epic scale, like a novel.

"We try to keep them focused on developmental skills."

The children, who are 3 to 4 years old, take part in kindergarten activities and have measureably improved their developmental skills, Mrs. Herberle said.

Children with ASDs can experience a loss of developmental skills, a plateau in development, or both.

Normal or slightly slowed development may proceed for 2 to 3 months, and then there will be severe developmental delay and a loss of early developmental skills.

Because of this, art therapy is reserved for students who do not have much chance for long-term improvements, but rather short-term developmental skills.

Mr. Morrow, the Nashville public defender, said inquiries into developmental skills were generally made of third parties who did not even understand the reasons for the questioning.