Developmental Milestones: Birth to Age Three

Unit 4

CE114-03

Developmental Milestones
Children grow and develop at different rates; however, most pass through an identifiable skill “set” along the way. These skills, called developmental milestones, build on each other, from simple to complex, during predictable time periods for most children. Milestone charts, such as one provided below, represent a timetable for mastery of some developmental milestones for a certain age group.
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: BIRTH TO AGE THREE | Birth to Age 1 | Age 1 to Age 2 | Age 2 to Age 3 | Physical and Motor | At age of one month: * Raise their heads slightly when lying on their stomachsAt age of three months: * Show vigorous …show more content…
shaking, banging, throwing, dropping etc. * Finds objects even when hidden under covers * Points to some body parts * Names most common objects | * Recognize a familiar picture and know if it is upside down * Ask for items by name * Use two or three words together, such as “more milk” * Use words to converse with peers * Hand over toys or objects upon request * Verbalize toilet needs * Answers questions about a story * Recognizes family member names * Begins to sort by shapes and colors * Begins make-believe play |
Although the developmental milestones are a road map of how children develop certain skills and abilities, they do grow and develop at different rates. Often children will reach certain milestones at an earlier age than others; however these children may lag slightly behind in other developmental milestones. The developmental milestones; therefore, should not be taken as black and white but rather as a general guideline to help ensure that no child should lag so far behind his peers before corrective interventions are put in place. In reality however, these developmental areas overlap. As development in one area is taking place,