Child development stages

Child development stages are the theoretical milestones of child development, some of which are asserted in nativist theories. This article discusses the most widely accepted developmental stages. There exists a wide variation in terms of what is considered "normal," caused by variation in genetic, cognitive, physical, family, cultural, nutritional, educational, and environmental factors. Many children reach some or most of these milestones at different times from the norm.

Holistic development sees the child in the round, as a whole person - physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, morally, culturally and spiritually. Learning about child development involves studying patterns of growth and development, from which guidelines for 'normal' development are drawn up. Developmental norms are sometimes called milestones - they define the recognised pattern of development that children are expected to follow. Each child develops in a unique way; however, using norms helps in understanding these general patterns of development while recognising the wide variation between individuals. This page talks mostly about the linguistic development of a child.

One way to identify pervasive developmental disorders is if infants fail to meet the development milestones in time or at all.[1]

Table of milestones

Developmental Milestones[2][3]
Age Motor Speech Vision and hearing Social
1–1.5 months When held upright, holds head erect and steady Cooes and babbles at parents and people they know Focuses on parents.
  • Loves looking at new faces
  • Starts to smile at parents
  • Startled by sudden noises
1.6–2 months When prone, lifts self by arms; rolls from side to back.
  • Vocalizes
  • Cooes (makes vowel-like noises) or babbles.
Focuses on objects as well as adults
  • Loves looking at new faces
  • Smiles at parent
  • Starting to smile [4]
2.1–4.5 months
  • Rolls from tummy to side
  • Rests on elbows, lifts head 90 degrees
  • Sits propped up with hands, head steady for short time
  • Changes sounds while verbalizing, "eee-ahhh"
  • Verbalizes to engage someone in interaction
  • Blows bubbles, plays with tongue
  • Deep belly laughs
  • Hand regard: following the hand with the eyes[5]
  • Color vision adult-like.
Serves to practice emerging visual skills.[6] Also observed in blind children.[5]
3 months
  • Prone: head held up for prolonged periods
Makes vowel noises
  • Follows dangling toy from side to side
  • Turns head around to sound. Follows adults' gaze (joint attention)
  • Sensitivity to binocular cues emerges.
  • Squeals with delight appropriately
  • Discriminates smile. Smiles often
  • Laughs at simple things.
  • Reaches out for objects.
5 months
  • Holds head steady
  • Goes for objects and gets them
  • Objects taken to mouth
Enjoys vocal play
  • Noticing colors
  • Adjusts hand shape to shape of toy before picking up
6 months
  • Transfers objects from one hand to the other
  • Pulls self up to sit and sits erect with supports
  • Rolls over prone to supine
  • Palmar grasp of cube hand to hand eye coordination [4]
  • Double syllable sounds such as 'mumum' and 'dada'
  • babbles (consonant-vowel combinations)
  • Localises sound 45 cm lateral to either ear
  • Visual acuity adult-like (20/20)
  • Sensitivity to pictorial depth cues (those used by artists to indicate depth) emerges
May show Stranger anxiety
9–10 months Babbles tunefully Looks for toys dropped Apprehensive about strangers
1 year
  • Stands holding furniture
  • Stands alone for a second or two, then collapses with a bump
Babbles 2 or 3 words repeatedly Drops toys, and watches where they go
  • Cooperates with dressing
  • Waves goodbye
  • Understands simple commands
18 months
  • Can walk alone
  • Picks up toy without falling over
  • Gets up/down stairs holding onto rail
  • Begins to jump with both feet.
  • Can build a tower of 3 or 4 cubes and throw a ball
'Jargon'. Many intelligible words Be able to recognise their favourite songs, and will try to join in.
  • Demands constant mothering
  • Drinks from a cup with both hands
  • Feeds self with a spoon
  • Most children with autism are diagnosed at this age.
2 years
  • Able to run
  • Walks up and down stairs 2 feet per step
  • Builds tower of 6 cubes
Joins 2–3 words in sentences
3 years
  • Goes up stairs 1-foot per step and downstairs 2 feet per step
  • Copies circle, imitates hand motions and draws man on request
  • Builds tower of 9 cubes
  • Constantly asks questions
  • Speaks in sentences
4 years
  • Goes down stairs one foot per step
  • Skips on one foot
  • Imitates gate with cubes
  • Copies a cross
  • Questioning at its height
  • Many infantile substitutions in speech
  • Dresses and undresses with assistance
  • Attends to own toilet needs
5 years
  • Skips on both feet and hops.
  • Draws a stick figure and copies a hexagonal based pyramid using graphing paper
  • Gives age
Fluent speech with few infantile substitutions in speech Dresses and undresses alone
6 years Fluent speech

Physical specifications[7]

Age Average length/height (cm) Length growth Average weight Weight gain Respiration rate
(per minute)
Normal body temperature Heart rate (pulse)
(per minute)
Visual acuity
(Snellen chart)
1–4
months
50–70 cm (20–28 in) 2.5 cm (0.98 in) per month 4–8 kg (8.8–17.6 lb) 100–200 g per week 30 to 40 35.7–37.5 °C
4–8
months
70–75 cm (28–30 in) 1.3 cm (0.51 in) per month Doubling birth weight 500 g per month 25 to 50 Body temperature Heart rate
8–12
months
Approx. 1.5 times birth length by first birthday 9.6 kg (21 lb)
Nearly triple the birth weight by first birthday
500 g per month 20 to 45 Body temperature Heart rate 20/100
12–24
months
80–90 cm (31–35 in) 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) per year 9–13 kg (20–29 lb) 130–250 g per month 22 to 40 Body temperature 80 to 110 20/60
2 years 85–95 cm (33–37 in) 7–13 cm (2.8–5.1 in) per year 12–15 kg (26–33 lb)
about 4 times birth weight
1 kg per year 20 to 35 Body temperature Heart rate

Milestones by age

1–4 months

Physical

Motor development[9]

4–8 months[10]

Physical

Motor development

8–12 months

Physical

Motor development

Toddlers (12–24 months)

Physical

Motor development

Cognitive development

English language

Social[12]

Two-year-old[13]

Physical

Motor development

Cognitive

English language

Social and emotional

Three-year-old[16][17]

Physical

Motor development

Cognitive development

Four-year-old[18]

Physical development

Motor development

Cognitive

English language

Social development

Five-year-old

Physical

Motor development

Cognitive

English language development

Social development

Six-year-old

Physical

Motor development

English language

Social and emotional

Seven year old

Motor development

English language

Social and emotional

Eight year old

Motor development

English skills

Social and emotional

Nine year old

Motor skills

English skills

Social skills

Ten year old

Motor skills

English skills

Social skills

Eleven year old

Motor skills

English skills

Social and emotional development

Twelve year old

Motor skills

English skills

Social skills

Thirteen year olds

Fourteen year olds

Fifteen year olds

Sixteen year olds

See also

References

  1. "Developmental Milestones by Age". Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  2. Seminars in child and adolescent psychiatry (second edition). Ed. Simon G. Gowers. Royal College of Psychiatrists (2005) ISBN 1-904671-13-6
  3. Berk, Laura E. (2012). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0205011098.
  4. 1 2 http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/birthtofive.aspx#close
  5. 1 2 Jim McMorran; Damian Crowther; Stew McMorran; Steve Youngmin; Ian Wacogne; Jon Pleat; Clive Prince. "Hand regard – General Practice Notebook". Gpnotebook.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  6. Early Development. Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, tsbvi.edu
  7. http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2012/03/Development-Matters-FINAL-PRINT-AMENDED.pdf
  8. NHS (2013). Birth-to-five development timeline. Last accessed 24.03.2014.
  9. The Early Years Foundation Stage . (2012). Child Development Overview. Available: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/eyfs_cards_0001207.pdf. Last accessed 31.03.2014.
  10. Baby Milestones Slideshow: Your Child's First Year of Development at webMD. Retrieved May 2013
  11. Trawick-Smith, J (2013) Early childhood development: a multicultural perspective. (6th Edition) USA: Pearson.
  12. Harding, J. (2013) Child development: an illustrated handbook. Oxon: Hodder Education.
  13. Parten, M. (1932). "Social participation among pre-school children". The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 27 (3): 243. doi:10.1037/h0074524.
  14. Ruben, K. H., Fein, G. G., & Vandenberg, B. (1983). "Play", pp. 693–744 in E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (4th ed.). New York: Wiley, ISBN 0471090654.
  15. Hobart, C. Frankel, J. and Walker, M. (2009). A practical guide to child observation and assessment. (4th Edition.) Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes Publishers
  16. Child development. Early Years Matters, Bury, UK (last accessed 12 March)
  17. Sharman, C. Cross, W. and Vennis, D. (2004) Observing children: a practical guide. London: Continuum.

Further reading

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