City Hospital Talks About Child Development

Child development is generally broken down into four main categories:

Stepping Reflex:
Birth-6 weeks. When the baby is held in an upright position and the feet placed on a firm surface, the baby will take "steps".

Moro ("Startle") Reflex:
Birth-3 months. This reflex involves symmetrical opening of the arms before they close again.

Rooting Reflex:
Birth-4 months. When you stroke the baby's face (near the corner of his/her mouth), the baby will turn to that side

Sucking Reflex:
Birth-6 months. Light touch applied from a nipple or finger to the baby's lips/tongue will stimulate a rhythmic suck response.

 

Atonic Neck Reflex:
2-6 months. When the baby turns his head to one side, the arm on that side will straighten and the other arm will bend (like a fencing posture).

Gross Motor:
Head control: 3 months
Rolling: 6 months
Sitting: 7-8 months
Walking: 12-15 months

Speech and Language:
Babbling: 4-6 months
First word: 9-12 months
First "sentence" (i.e. joining 2 words together): 18-24 months

It is important to remember that children vary considerably in all aspects of their development and therefore use developmental milestones guidelines as a rough estimate.

Use the Appropriate Language Level
Use simple relevant words that are familiar to your child. Use language that is only slightly above the level of your child. Producing sentences at a level appropriate for your child enables your child to have greater success with copying, understanding and learning.

Modeling
Modeling simply means to demonstrate. If your child is not using words, aim to interpret what your child is trying to communicate and then say the word/s for your child to hear.

Repetition
Children are more likely to learn a new word or phrase when they have heard the word/phrase lots of times. By hearing the same word/phrase many times in different ways, your child will find it easier to focus on the new word/phrase and associate it with what is happening.

Talking to Yourself
There are times when you may be working while your child plays alone near you. These times can be used to help your child learn language. Use simple phrases and sentences to talk about what you and doing and thinking.

 

Use Routines
Routines are a great way for children to learn. Routines are predictable and reliable and thus provide a good foundation for learning. Nursery rhymes encourage your child to anticipate and predict. Routine allows your child to hear the words used in the same situation over and over. This will make learning these words easier.

Create Opportunities for Communication
It is important to provide your child with many opportunities to communicate. Encourage some effort on your child's part before your child gets what your child wants. Following are some strategies you can use to make communication necessary:

It is important that your child experiences a variety of different positions from birth.

When a little older It is also important to provide your child with opportunities to move and provide the motivation to do so. Place toys on the edge of their reach once they are sitting, move toys away once they start to crawl and place toys on the sofa once they are able to stand and cruise. Children consolidate skills through practice and repetition so provide an opportunity for this.

Avoid items such as baby walkers and doorway jumping seats. These encourage babies to bounce/walk on their toes. Walkers block the natural development patterns required for skills such as sitting crawling and walking; they don’t help to strengthen muscles and may lead to delayed development.

When to seek help:

It is important to seek help when you, as a parent, are concerned about any aspect of your child's development. We recommend that you take your child to a Paediatrician and discuss your concerns. They may then refer you on to the appropriate therapist for assessment and/or therapy.