Developmental milestones of childhood
Dr Wrishi Raphael
Mrs. Rashid came to the office of their family physician with her 2 year old boy Saquib for regular checkup. As is the case for most young mothers, Mrs. Rashid was asking if Saquib was growing normally or not. Although remembering the milestones of development accurately can be an arduous task it may be very handy to keep an updated weight and developmental milestone chart nearby.
Its always easier to remember that the average two year old will be able to perform certain activities in multiple of the number two. The toddler should be able to climb two steps, say two to three word phrases and can make towers between two to six cubes. Similarly three year olds will exhibit developmental traits of or related to the number 3. The three year old toddler can say three word combos, repeat three numbers and ride tricycle. Having said that it is equally important for general practitioners to examine height, weight, head circumference and take detailed history of the childs immunization status. Growth monitoring strives to improve nutrition, reduce the risk of inadequate nutrition, educate caregivers, and produce early detection and referral for conditions manifested by growth disorders. Serial measurements of recumbent length (birth to two to three years) or height (two years and older), weight and head circumference (birth to two years) should be part of scheduled well-baby and well-child health visits. This will help identify disturbances in rates of weight gain or physical growth. Although the ideal number of health maintenance visits for children has not been established, current international recommendations are that they be organized according to the immunization schedule, with additional visits within the first month and also at nine months of age (ie, within one to two weeks of birth; at one, two, four, six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 months; and at four to six years).
The developmental milestones are equally important. Within each of these four domains they are broken into age ranges such as 0-5 mos., 5-8 mos., 8-14 mos., and so on. If a childs meeting the markers in each of these categories then they are considered to be on target as compared to other kids the same age. If a child is not meeting certain markers in any of the four previously mentioned domains, this would be something that parents, early childhood experts, and pediatricians would note. From this information, activities, skills, and ideas could be provided to a childs family to encourage their childs opportunities for growth.
At some point, if milestones continue to be missed, it is considered a red flag. A red flag is an indicator that early intervention may be needed to help a child increase their development with not only their parents support but through extra support of an OT, PT, SLP, experts specifically set up to help increase a childs abilities and skills and to support the parent in doing the same.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]
