Development

HEALTH INFORMATION

Development

The Principles of Development are summarised as follows:

  1. Development is a continuous process from conception to maturity.
  2. The sequence of development is the same in all children, but the rate of development varies from child to child.
  3. Development is intimately related to the maturation of the nervous system.
  4. Generalised mass activity is replaced by specific individual responses.
  5. Development is in the cephalocaudal direction.

The developmental milestones that a child attains are a good reflection of its physical and neurological maturity.

Table :-Normal developmental milestones

Milestones Gross motor Fine motor Social Language
1 month Grasp reflex Looks intently at person speaking to her Quietens on sound of bell.
2 months Hands closed Social smile Smile when someone speaks to her
3 months Head mostly held up but still bobs forward. Hands open Recognises mother, excited to see a toy Coos and babbles when spoken to
4 months Stable head control Reaches out for objects with both hands Laughs aloud When spoken to ,can respond with continuous sounds
6 months Sit with support with round back Reaches object with one hand, transfer rattle from one to the other Smiles at mirror image, stranger anxiety Speaks monosyllables like ba,ma
8 months Sits without support
9 months Stands with support Crude finger thumb pincer grasp Waves bye-bye Speaks bi-syllables mama, papa
10 months Walking with support
12 months Stands without support Fine finger thumb pincer grasp Plays simple ball game Speaks 2-3 words with meaning
15 months Walks alone, creeps upstairs Self feeds with a cup, builds tower of 2-3 cubes Jargon speech
18 months Runs, throws a ball while standing Self feed with a spoon, turns 2-3 pages at a time Imitates house hold works Jargon speech with 7-10 words
2 years Jumps ,walk backwards, walks up & downstairs with both feet on each step Can turn 1 page at a time, can initiate vertical strokes Ask for food &drink and tells need for toilet Can make 2-3 word sentence, use pronouns “I”,”me” ,”you”
3 years Rides tri-cycle, goes upstairs with one step on each step Can dress and undress, can draw a circle Knows onesname,age,gender& share toys Normal speech
4 years Comes downstairs with one step on each step Can button & unbutton, can copy a square & cross Toilet trained, plays cooperatively in a group Can tell a story
5 years Skips Can draw a triangle, can tie shoe lace Helps in house hold works Chatter box, ask word meaning