Developmental Milestones : Child Development

Startle reflex- when babies hear a sudden sound or see a bright light, they move their arms outwards, and clenching their fists

* Become more interested in small objects, paying attention to them; able to find hidden objects.

At 6 weeks infants develop a social smile, at 3 month laughter and curiosity develop, at 4 months full responsive smiles emerge, from 4-8 months they develop anger, from 9014 months they develop a fear of social events, at 12 months the are fearful of unexpected sights and sounds, and at 18 months they are self-aware, feel pride, shame, and embarrassment. In the first two years, infants develop from reactive pain and pleasure to complex patterns of social awareness. Emotions in infants are produced from their body as opposed to their thoughts. Therefore fast and uncensored reactions are common in infants. During their toddler years, the strength of their emotions will increase.

Children and young peopleâ€TMs development is considered in sequences as apposed to stages of development which suggest a child of x-age should be able to do x y & z. By thinking of development in sequences suggests that while children follow the same pattern or route of development they do not necessarily develop through these sequences at fixed ages. However, age ranges are used as framework for understanding the pattern of development. It is essential to remember however that children of any age are individuals and therefore will develop at different rates and there are varying factors that can impact the rate of development. In addition, development at each sequence cannot be seen in isolation as once sequence cannot take part without development

Developmental milestones describe physical skills or behaviors observed in children as they grow and develop at certain ages.1 These milestones include physical (gross and fine motor), cognitive, social, emotional, language and nonverbal communication skills. To ensure that children meet these developmental milestones, parents, early childhood and school teachers, general practitioners and pediatricians use checklists as a guide to ensure that children are roughly “on track” for their age.2 Developmental milestones are useful to highlight any areas in which a child might be delayed as early detection and intervention is essential in minimizing the effects of developmental “hiccups”.3

The table presents an overview of child development from birth to nineteen years of age. The time frames are averages and children may achieve the developmental milestones earlier or later but still be what is considered ‘normal’.

The ASQ is widely used by pediatricians, advanced practitioners, early childhood educators, and social workers, to identify children who may required comprehensive developmental evaluation (APA). Early identification of any developmental delays is very important in providing prompt intervention and treatment, and ASQ, well studied, is very useful (APA).

The early childhood years from 2 to 6 years old are a time of continued growth and development. Individual differences in growth are becoming more obvious as children are starting to discover who they are. There are many developmental milestones that children will reach within these four years, all at their own pace, ability and time. We will take a closer look into some of the milestones that preschool age children reach within the four developmental domains: physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional.

As parents, one of our greatest joys is to watch our children learn, succeed, and grow. From the moment they are born, we are looking for their newest skill and always surprised by how quickly these tiny little humans develop

Eyes: the healthy newborn can see and can fixate on points of contrast. The newborn shows preference for observing a human face and follows moving objects. Toys that make sounds and have contrasting colors attract the newborn. Most newborns seem crossed eyed because their eye muscle coordination

The proposed program will provide parents with the education to aid them in identifying any irregularities in developmental milestones. American Academy of Pediatrics (2001) indicated that parents can be helpful in screening. They also acknowledged that pediatricians are not using effective methods for screening. Based on this and information from a thorough literature review, the development of a program would be beneficial to children’s health and wellbeing. This program will contribute to educating parents and giving them the correct tools so that they can their children.

Katelyn is a baby girl who had a normal birth. She has half of Korean and American blood. She has dark brown hair and eyes. After she was born, I talked, sang, and listened to music hoping Katelyn to be more active and curious. I breast feed Katelyn to feel more connection; however, I also used formula for the convenient.

During the observations three children were observed, one infant of 4 months of age named “Desmond”, a 13-month-old named “Nathan”, and a 26-month-old named “Alexia”. The first part of the observation took place in the infant/young toddler room. In that room I began my observation with a 4-month-old baby named “Desmond”. Throughout the observation “Desmond” cried for most of the time. When “Desmond’s” caregiver was asked if “Desmond” often cries? The caregiver said that “Desmond” often cries when he is not being held. That he loves to be held and if he is not held he will cry until he gets what he wants, sometimes crying for as long as 30 minutes one time. Once “Desmond” is picked up and given the attention that he is wanting, “Desmond” calms

| |forward (head lag) and the back curves. As the baby gets older they are aware of faces, |

Essentially, the formative years of research on the aspect of cognitive growth in infants made certain assumptions, for instance, an infant growth was significantly simplified. However, modern research indicates that there is a complex pattern of cognitive development in infants. To answer the question, it is imperative to start by understanding what the cognitive aspect of the development of infants is. Ideally, infants and toddlers do not only develop physically at this early age; but the development also takes an around aspect of the mind, the emotions, and the language. In all these, the only visible aspect of growth is the physical development, the cognitive development is significantly assumed because it requires keen observations. However, toddlers develop cognitively through various aspects of their surroundings.