Another Developmental Tid Bit

If you notice that your child is not saying any words by the age of 2 and just talks jibberish, he or she may have a speech delay and may need to see a speech therapist. But the first thing to do in such cases is to have your childs hearing checked because it my be a sign of deafness or poor hearing. If the hearing is good then see your childs healthcare provider for further assessment of his or her speech.

Developmental Milestones in a Child

In the table below is outlined some of the important developmental milestones to look out for in your child. In general there are 4 categories of development that a child must meet namely, Social/Cognitive, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, and Language. At any given age these 4 categories should be assessed for normal development. If one or more of the milestones are not met by your child at the appropriate age do not panic. The age appropriate behavior and development of any given child is not set in stone and may vary from child to child, but a parent should nevertheless be alert and look out for any delay in the development of the child. If one is suspected please see the healthcare provider of your child for further assessment and guidance.

Age	Social/Cognitive	Gross Motor	Fine Motor	Language
2 months	Social smile	Lifts head 45o	Eyes follow object to midline	Coos
4 months	Laughs, Aware of caregiver, Localizes sound	Lifts head 90o	Eyes follow object past midline	Language
6 months	Differentiates parents from others, Separation anxiety	Rolls over, Holds self up with hands, Sits	Grasps/rakes, Attempts to self-feed	Babbles
9 months	Plays interactive games	Crawls	Grasps with thumb	Firsts words spoken
12 months		Pulls to stand, Walks with help	Pincer grasp, Makes tower of 2 blocks	~5- to 10-word vocabulary
18 months	Parallel play	Walks well alone, Walks backward	Makes tower of 4 blocks, Uses cup or spoon	10- to 50-word vocabulary, 2-word sentences spoken
2 years	Dresses self with help	Runs, Climbs stairs (initially 2 feet/step, then 1 foot/step)	Makes tower of 6 blocks	50- to 75-word vocabulary, 3-word sentences
3 years	Magical thinking	Climbs/descends stairs	Makes tower of 9 blocks, Able to draw circle (O)	Language
4 years	Plays with others	Hops on 1 foot	Able to draw line image/stick figures (+); later able to draw closed line (triangle)	250+ word vocabulary, 4-word sentences
6 years	Able to distinguish fantasy from reality	Skips	Draws a person(+O)	Fluent speech