pediatric therapy articles
Early Childhood Development
Infant – Toddler – Child Developmental Milestones What is child development? A child's growth is more than just physical. Children grow, develop, and learn throughout their lives, starting at birth. A child's development can be followed by how they play, learn, speak, and behave. When we talk about normal development, we are talking about developing skills like:
- Gross motor: using large groups of muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, keeping balance, changing positions.
- Fine motor: using hands to be able to eat, draw, dress, play, write, and do many other things.
- Language: speaking, using body language/gestures, communicating, and understanding what others say.
- Cognitive: Thinking skills including learning, understanding, problem-solving, reasoning, and remembering.
- Social: Interacting with others, having relationships with family, friends, and teachers, cooperating, and responding to the feelings of others.
What are developmental milestones? Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range. Your pediatrician uses milestones to help check how your child is developing. Although each milestone has an age appropriate level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can vary quite a bit. Every child is unique and develop at various rates!
What is a developmental delay? Will my child just grow out of it? Skills such as rolling from stomach to back, independently taking a first step, walking up and down stairs, or jumping are called developmental milestones. Children reach these milestones through participating in playing, learning, speaking, behaving, and moving (crawling, walking, etc.). A developmental delay is when your child does not reach these milestones at the same time as other children the same age. If your child is not developing properly, there are things you can do that may help. Most of the time, a developmental problem is not something your child will "grow out of" on his or her own. But with help, your child could reach his or her full potential!
What is developmental screening? Physicians, physical, occupational, and speech therapists use developmental screening to tell if children are learning basic skills when they should, or if they might have problems. Your child's doctor may ask you questions or talk and play with your child during an exam to see how he or she learns, speaks, behaves, and moves. Since there is no lab or blood test to tell if your child may have a delay, the developmental screening will help tell if your child needs to see a specialist. Physical, occupational and speech therapists use many tests which can quantify the degree or percentage of delay in a child’s development at any age.
Why is developmental screening important? When a developmental delay is not recognized early, children must wait to get the help they need. This can make it hard for them to learn when they start school. In the United States, 17 percent of children have a developmental or behavioral disability such as autism, mental retardation, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, many children have delays in language or other areas. But, less than half of children with problems are identified before starting school. During this time, the child could have received help for these problems and may even have entered school more ready to learn. Typically, the longer a child goes without interventions to address developmental delays, the longer the child’s future developmental activities may be delayed, creating a “snowball effect.”
I have concerns that my child could have a developmental delay. Who can I contact in my state to get my child a developmental assessment? Talk to your child's doctor or nurse if you have concerns about how your child is developing. If you or your doctor think there could be a problem, you can take your child to see a developmental pediatrician or other specialist, and you can contact your local early intervention agency (for children under 3) or public school (for children 3 and older) for help.
How can I help my child's development? Proper nutrition, exercise, and rest are very important for children's health and development. Providing a safe and loving home and spending time with your child – playing, singing, reading, and even just talking – can also make a big difference in his or her development. For other ideas of activities to do with your child, and for child safety information, go to www.cdc.gov and look in the "developmental milestones" section.
For an interactive checklist concerning your child’s progress with age appropriate skills, go online to www.cdc.gov.
Early Childhood Development
Published: March 5, 2007 © Carolina Pediatric Therapy
