Stages of Development or Developmental Milestones
The knowledge of typical stages, patterns, and milestones in all areas of child development helps parents and professionals recognize a child that is struggling.
Children with special needs and developmental delays will go through the stages but at their individual pace. Stages of development are helpful in setting goals. By determining the individual child's present levels realistic goals can be set to reach the next stage. The parent, teacher and therapist can provide opportunities and adaptations to support the child toward reaching the next stage.
Providing a "developmentally appropriate environment" is needed at home, therapy and school. This includes setting appropriate expectations, finding educational toys, activities, and communicating with children at their developmental level.
Child development is a process every child goes through. This process involves mastering skills like sitting, crawling, talking, walking, and learning feed oneself. Children learn these skills or developmental milestones during predictable time periods. Milestones develop sequentially, in other words, one skill develops and is the foundation for another skill. Most children learn to sit, crawl and pull themselves to a standing position before they learn to walk.
The knowledge of these milestones can help parents and professional determine whether a child is developing normally or if a developmental specialist, psychologist, speech-language therapist, physical therapist and/or occupational therapist evaluation and treatment is needed.
Keep in mind that there is a window of several months when reading this information. In other words if the chart indicates a child should be sitting at 9 months then it is still considered within normal limits if a child is not sitting at 11 months.
The five main areas of developmental milestones include:
- Social and Emotional Development
- Cognitive Development
- Speech and Language Development
- Gross Motor Skill Development
- Fine Motor Skill Development
The two major factors that determine when a child will reach their developmental milestones are environment and genetics. The environment is enriched by the many experiences provided to a child at home, in the community and at school. Proper nurturing and nutrition are also environmental factors. Genetics refers to characteristics that are inherited; they determine the color of our eyes, hair, height, etc.
There are toys, DVD’s, books, music, games, puzzles that stimulate your child’s development. In addition there are everyday things to do that will improve a child’s development and ability to reach their full potential.
- Attention, a baby or child cannot get enough attention at any age. Show affection and eat, talk, sing, read, interact with and play with a child at their level. Learn their likes, dislikes and interests.
- Behavior is important for learning. Learn parenting and teaching skills that promote a positive environment with structure, limits, consitstant rules and consequences and of course FUN!
- Limit TV time to an hour or less a day. Instead encourage interactive learning by watching and imitating with DVD’s and computer software.
- Ask for help. If you need to learn more about a child or how to help a child don’t be afraid to ask or research the information there are many helpful books and websites, courses.
- READ, TALK and READ to children! Research indicates a significant increase in a child’s vocabulary in a language rich environment.
For more information on developmental milestones and other childhood situations please read:
- Talking to Toddlers: Dealing with the Terrible Two’s and Beyond: This 3 CD audio course with 3 hours of content is written by a parent for parents. This program will give you real life situations and suggestions for using language to change your child’s behavior.
- How To Help Your Child Learn To Talk Better in Everyday Activities An E book written by a Speech Language Patholgist informs parents and care givers who want to help a child begin talking or to talk better. Straight-forward explanations of why a child is talking late and lots of examples of ways to encourage talking are throughout the book.
- Discover How Baby Sign Language Can Help You? A step by step E-book describing how to use gestures and sign language to communicate with your baby before they learn to speak. You will discover how Baby Sign Language can help you understand what your baby is thinking and wants before they can talk.
- Here is an adaptive keyboard called comfy keyboard that I have used for many years as a Speech Pathologist. It encourages imitation, vocabulary development, understanding of cause and effect and hours of fun engaging learning experiences.
- It plugs into your computer with a USB cable. The children I work with love the CD that comes with the keyboard as well as MY HOME, MY IMAGINATION, MY COLORS and WORLD of COLORS software. Each program can be set to 3 different levels and on many different languages. I highly recommend this product.