Developmental Milestones in the First 2 Yr of Life
|
MILESTONE |
AVERAGE AGE OF ATTAINMENT (MO) |
DEVELOPMENTAL IMPLICATIONS |
|
GROSS MOTOR | ||
|
Holds head steady while sitting |
2 |
Allows more visual interaction |
|
Pulls to sit, with no head lag |
3 |
Muscle tone |
|
Brings hands together in midline |
3 |
Self-discovery of hands |
|
Asymmetric tonic neck reflex gone |
4 |
Can inspect hands in midline |
|
Sits without support |
6 |
Increasing exploration |
|
Rolls back to stomach |
6.5 |
Truncal flexion, risk of falls |
|
Walks alone |
12 |
Exploration, control of proximity to parents |
|
Runs |
16 |
Supervision more difficult |
|
FINE MOTOR | ||
|
Grasps rattle |
3.5 |
Object use |
|
Reaches for objects |
4 |
Visuomotor coordination |
|
Palmar grasp gone |
4 |
Voluntary release |
|
Transfers object hand to hand |
5.5 |
Comparison of objects |
|
Thumb-finger grasp |
8 |
Able to explore small objects |
|
Turns pages of book |
12 |
Increasing autonomy during book time |
|
Scribbles |
13 |
Visuomotor coordination |
|
Builds tower of 2 cubes |
15 |
Uses objects in combination |
|
Builds tower of 6 cubes |
22 |
Requires visual, gross, and fine motor coordination |
|
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE | ||
|
Smiles in response to face, voice |
1.5 |
More active social participant |
|
Monosyllabic babble |
6 |
Experimentation with sound, tactile sense |
|
Inhibits to “no” |
7 |
Response to tone (nonverbal) |
|
Follows one-step command with gesture |
7 |
Nonverbal communication |
|
Follows one-step command without gesture |
10 |
Verbal receptive language (e.g.,“Give it to me”) |
|
Says “mama” or “dada” |
10 |
Expressive language |
|
Points to objects |
10 |
Interactive communication |
|
Speaks first real word |
12 |
Beginning of labeling |
|
Speaks 4–6 words |
15 |
Acquisition of object and personal names |
|
Speaks 10–15 words |
18 |
Acquisition of object and personal names |
|
Speaks 2-word sentences (e.g.,“Mommy shoe”) |
19 |
Beginning grammaticization, corresponds with 50+ word vocabulary |
|
COGNITIVE | ||
|
Stares momentarily at spot where object disappeared |
2 |
Lack of object permanence (out of sight, out of mind) [e.g., yarn ball dropped] |
|
Stares at own hand |
4 |
Self-discovery, cause and effect |
|
Bangs 2 cubes |
8 |
Active comparison of objects |
|
Uncovers toy (after seeing it hidden) |
8 |
Object permanence |
|
Egocentric symbolic play (e.g., pretends to drink from cup) |
12 |
Beginning symbolic thought |
|
Uses stick to reach toy |
17 |
Able to link actions to solve problems |
|
Pretend play with doll (e.g., gives doll bottle) |
17 |
Symbolic thought |
