Child Development: Birth to Age 2

“Child Development: Birth to Age 2”

ECD – 102 Term Paper

Prepared By: Patricia I. Ramsey Prepared For: Dr. Switzer

What is child development?
Child development refers to how a child becomes able to do more complex things as they get older. Development is different than growth. Growth only refers to the child getting bigger in size. When we talk about normal development, we are talking about developing skills like: • Gross motor: using large groups of muscles to sit, stand, walk, run, etc., keeping balance, and changing positions. • Fine motor: using hands to be able to eat, draw, dress, play, write, and do many other things. • Language: speaking, using body language and gestures, communicating, and understanding what others say. • Cognitive: Thinking skills: including learning, understanding, problem-solving, reasoning, and remembering. • Social: Interacting with others, having relationships with family, friends, and teachers, cooperating, and responding to the feelings of others. (1997)
What are developmental milestones?
Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range. Your pediatrician uses milestones to help check how your child is developing. Although each milestone has an age level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can very quite a bit. Every child is unique! (2000)

To develop an infant’s motor skills, allow them to explore their environment and encourage them to do activities which involve physical activity. To develop early motor skills, clap an infant’s hands, wiggle his or her fingers, teach the infant to form the number 1 with his or her fingers. Eventually that will translate into them learning the hand-eye coordination they will need to know in order to feed themselves or to start coloring. (1995) Physical development generally occurs around the same time, but cognitive development and social/emotional development may begin at different stages. While there are generalizations of what babies should be doing at a certain stage in their life, a parent should not be worried if the baby is not doing what’s listed in a book. Remember that children develop at different rates. The level of interaction the parent or provider has with a child has a direct impact on the rate of a child’s development. Children that are stimulated recognize objects faster than another child with less interaction. (1995) An essential ingredient in infant care is touching. It’s completely vital for the development of a child. If you have two kids crying and one is picked up and has sensory support, that child is going to be more responsive. In addition to verbal communication and interaction, hugging and touching is extremely important for infants. It’s how they associate feelings and words with responses. (1994)

Normal Stages of
Human Development
(Birth to 2 Years) Below you will find an overview of child development from birth to two years of age. It is important to keep in mind that the time frames presented are averages and some children may achieve various developmental milestones earlier or later than the average but still be within the normal range. This information is presented to help parents understand what to expect from their child. Any questions you may have about your child's development should be shared with his doctor. (1994)
| |Physical and Language |Emotional |Social |
|Birth |Feedings: 5-8 per day |Generalized Tension |Helpless |
|to | | |Asocial |
|1 month |Sleep: 20 hrs per day | |Fed by mother |
| | | | |
| |Sensory Capacities: makes basic | | |
| |distinctions in vision, hearing, | | |
| |smelling, tasting, touch, | | |
| |temperature, and perception of pain | | |
|2 months |Sensory Capacities: color |Delight |Visually fixates at a face, smiles |
|to |perception, visual exploration, and | |at a face, may be soothed by |
|3 months |oral exploration. |Distress |rocking. |
| | | | |
| |Sounds: cries, coos, grunts |Smiles at a Face | |
| | | | |
| |Motor Ability: control of eye | | |
| |muscles, lifts head when on stomach.| | |
|4 months |Sensory Capacities: localizes |Enjoys being cuddled |Recognizes his mother. |
|to |sounds | |Distinguishes between familiar |
|6 months | | |persons and strangers, no longer |
| |Sounds: babbling, makes most vowels| |smiles indiscriminately. |
| |and about half of the consonants | | |
| | | |Expects feeding, dressing, and |
| |Feedings: 3-5 per day | |bathing. |
| |Motor Ability: control of head and | | |
| |arm movements, purposive grasping, | | |
| |rolls over. | | |
|7 months |Motor Ability: control of trunk and|Specific emotional attachment to |Enjoys "peek-a-boo" |
|to |hands, sits without support, crawls |mother. | |
|9 months |about. | | |
| | |Protests separation from mother. | |
|10 months |Motor Ability: control of legs and |Anger |Responsive to own name. |
|to |feet, stands, creeps, apposition of | | |
|12 months |thumb and fore-finger. |Affection |Wave bye-bye. |
| | | | |
| |Language: says one or two words, |Fear of strangers |Plays pat-a-cake, understands |
| |imitates sounds, and responds to | |"no-no!" |
| |simple commands. |Curiosity, exploration | |
| | | |Gives and takes objects. |
| |Feedings: 3 meals, 2 snacks | | |
| | | | |
| |Sleep: 12 hours, 2 naps | | |
|1 years |Motor Ability: creeps up stairs, |Dependent Behavior |Obeys limited commands. |
|to |walks (10-20 min), and makes lines | | |
|1 ½ years |on paper with crayon. |Very upset when separated |Repeats a few words. |
| | |from mother | |
| | | |Interested in his mirror image. |
| | |Fear of Bath | |
| | | |Feeds himself. |
|1 ½ years |Motor Ability: runs, kicks a ball, |Temper tantrums (1-3yrs) |Does opposite of what he is told (18|
|to |and builds 6 cube tower (2yrs) | | |
|2 years |Capable of bowel and bladder |Resentment of new baby | |
| |control. | | |
| |Language: vocabulary of more than | | |
| |200 words | | |
| |Sleep: 12 hours at night, 1-2 hr nap| | |

“References”

Bredekamp, S. & Copple, C. (Eds.). (1997). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs (Rev. ed.). Washington: NAEYC.
Sandall, S. McLean, M. E., & Smith, B. (2000). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.
Bukatko, D. & Daehler, M. W. (1995). Child development: A thematic approach.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Allen, K. E. & Marotz, L. (1994) Developmental profiles: Pre-birth through eight. Albany, New York: Delmar.