Developmental Milestones - Essay Example

Developmental Milestones: Birth to Age Three Unit 4 CE 114-01 In addition, include a one-paragraph analysis addressing the fact that individuals develop at varying rates.“Babies grow and develop at tremendously different rates – and with blissful disregard for what parenting textbooks say they should be doing” (Raising Children Network, 2009). Parents should not be overly concerned when the milestones, as listed in parenting websites and books, are not evident during the period they were indicated.

The growth of a child is a complex process, because “brains are built over time” (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child [NSCDC], 2007:1); and how quickly development occurs is dependent on the interplay of “nature and nurture”, of genetics and environment. Children have widely individual characteristics and develop different skills at different paces. “The interactive influences of genes and experience literally shape the architecture of the developing brain, and the active ingredient is the ‘serve and return’ nature of children’s engagement in relationships with their parents and other caregivers in their family or community” (NSCDC, 2007:1).

For the most part, parents’ instincts are usually the best indicator that development is not going right. Parents should therefore trust these instincts, and not be overly stressed because babies can feel and react to stress in their caregivers. What is important is for parents to provide their babies with sufficient care and stimulation, to make sure that they eat and sleep well, and most of all, to show them that they are loved. Children bask in the love of their parents, and affection conveyed through words, touch, and “just being there” is probably the best stimulus for development that any young child could ever have.

NameDEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: BIRTH TO AGE THREEBirth to Age 1Age 1 to Age 2Age 2 to Age 3Physical and MotorLifts head.Hold hand in fist.Roll over.Reach, grasp, and put objects in mouth.Crawl.Sit without support.Points to things.Walk alone.Move to music.Scribble.Turn knobs.Shift marker from hand to hand and draw strokes.Turns pages of book.Run forward.Walk on tiptoe.String large beads.Draw a circle.Roll, pound, squeeze, and pull clay.Social and EmotionalSuck their own fingers.Observe their own hands.

Play peek-a-boo.Smile spontaneouslyLaugh aloud.Distinguish friends from strangers.Recognize themselves in the mirror.Show intense feelings for parents.Initiate their own play.Express negative feelings.Imitate adult behaviors in play.Begin to be helpful, such as by helping to put things away.Indicate toileting needs.Display aggressive behaviors.Watch other children and briefly join in play.Defend their possessions.Begin to play house.Know gender identity.Cognitive and LanguageDistinguish sound pitch & volume.

Recognize faces.Enjoy looking at picture books.Communicate by crying & babbling.Listen to conversations.Repetitive babbling.Imitate adults’ actions & language.Distinguish “you” from “me”.Understand & respond to commands.Understand simple directions.Responds when asked “where?”Begin learning about 9 new words a day.Respond to simple directions.Stacking blocks in order of size.Identify parts of a whole.Join familiar words into phrases.Name objects based on description.Enjoy listening to stories and asks for favorite stories.

ReferencesNational Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2007) The Science of Early Childhood Development. Harvard University. Retrieved 16 April 2010 from PBS. (2010). The ABC’s of Child Development: Developmental Milestones For Your Child’s First Five Years. Retrieved 16 April 2010 from .Raising Children Network. (2009). About Development. Retrieved 15 April 2010 from