Toddler Milestones – What To Expect And When To Be Concerned
Toddler Milestones
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. Every day, your child is learning as you talk, play, and interact together. Development is a combiunation of age, individual growth, and experiences. Your child will progress at his or her own rate; your involvement will promote developmental milestones.
Toddler milestones – How many words does the average 2-year-old know? When do children first play with other children cooperatively? When do you worry if a child is not walking? Is separation anxiety normal? When are children usually ready to be toilet trained? These questions and many more are on the minds of parents as they watch their youngster grow and develop. The following list is appropriate for toddlers 12-24 months of age and should not be applied to children under the age of one.
Toddler Milestone – Motor Development
What to expect (12-24 months)
* Builds tower of three small block
* Puts four rings on stick
* Places five pegs in pegboard
* Turns pages two or three at a time
* Scribbles
* Turns knobs
* Throws small ball
* Paints with whole arm movement,
* Shifts hands, makes strokes
* Uses a spoon and cup
* Walks alone
* Walks backwards
* Picks up toys from floor without falling
* Pulls toys, pushes toys
* Seats self in child size chair
* Walks up and down stairs with hand held
* Moves to music
When to be concerned
By 18 months….
* Your child’s limbs seem stiff
* Your child’s muscles seem floppy and loose
* Your child doesn’t walk yet
* Your child is walking on her toes
* Your child favors one hand or side of his body
* Your child seems very clumsy
* Your child is constantly moving
* Your child has trouble grasping and manipulating objects
* Your child drools and has difficulty eating
* Your child’s motor skills are regressing
By 24 months….
* Doesn’t walk confidently
* Shows no interest in climbing
* Will not push or pull toys
Discuss any suspected developmental delays with your child’s pediatrician. Generally, a parent’s instinct that motor development is delayed is often correct. Remember to correct your child’s age for prematurity
Toddler Milestone – Language Development
What to expect
By 18 months….
* Has vocabulary of 5-20 words
* Vocabulary made up chiefly of nouns
* Some echolalia (repeating a word or phrase over and over)
* Is able to follow simple commands
* Recognition of pictures of familiar persons, objects’Early 2-word combinations of words emerge;
* Needs are requested verbally such as “more, up”;
By 24 months….
* Can name a number of objects common to their surroundings
* Combines words into a short sentence
* Length of sentences is given as one to two words
* Approximately two-thirds of what child says should be intelligible
* Vocabulary 150-300 words
* Can use two pronouns correctly: I, me, you – although me and I are often confused
* Responds to such commands as “show me your eyes (nose, mouth)”
* Child understands simple questions and commands;
* Child will refer to self by name;
* Start to use the negative “not go”;
When to be concerned
By 12 – 18 months your child does not….
* Look upward or turn toward a new sound
* Hear you call from another room
* Enjoy shaking rattles or playing with toys that make sound
* Become scared by a loud voice
* Turn head or eyes toward a sound they can not see
* Change expressions at the sound of a voice or loud noise
* Say single words by 18 months
* Have a vocabulary of at least 10 words by age 24 months
* Will not iminate the speech of others
* Follow simple commands
* Use words or gestures to make his or her wants known
Discuss any suspected speech or language delays with your child’s pediatrician. Generally, a parent’s instinct that speech development is delayed is often correct. Before a speech and language evaluation is conducted, a hearing screening or test should be considered to rule out a hearing loss. Remember to correct your child’s age for prematurity
Toddler Milestones Continued
Toddler Milestone – Social Development
What to expect
At 12 to 18 months of age, toddlers begin to become interested in the world around them. Still, they view everything in terms of themselves. As they start to discover other people, they learn how to elicit reactions from them. As they continue to grow, they learn to socialize by trial and error.
Between ages one and two….
* Recognizes self in mirror or picture
* Refers to self by name
* Plays by self; initiates own play
* Imitates adult behaviors in play
* Helps put things away
* Points to some body parts
* Uses familiar objects correctly (cup, key, phone, shoe, etc.)
* Recognizes pictures of familiar objects or people
* Tries to figure out how things work
When to be concerned
By 24 months your child….
* Will not play interactive games, such as “Pat-A-Cake,:”Peek-a-boo,” or “This Little Piggie,” etc.
* Will not play alone for a short period of time
* Always seeks you out to play
* Always demands your attention
* Does not show any independence
* Does not care if you are in the room or not
* Does not display any emotions (fear, shyness, anger, etc.)
* Does not express caring for others with smiles or hugs
* Never tries to comfort you or others
* Never says “no” or “mine”
* Does not have temper tantrums
Discuss any suspected problems with your child’s pediatrician. Generally, a parent’s instinct is often correct. Remember to correct your child’s age for prematurity
Toddler Milestone – Separation Anxiety
As toddlers develop, they become more confident and begin to demonstrate independence. Toddlers 12 to 18 months old exhibit mood swings and volatile behaviors because they are torn between complete dependency and the desire for independence. With independence, they learn the limits of their abilities. However, they still have a fear of abandonment, which presents as separation anxiety. By the age of 2, children are beginning to build the skills they need to become independent, freethinking persons. They can walk, talk, and make simple choices for themselves. These new skills help them to establish their own identity. But without their parents in close view, toddlers find themselves easily overwhelmed. The trust that has been developed between parent and child allows the 2-year-old to conquer separation anxiety.
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