Child development

Child development refers to the physical, cognitive, emotional and social growth that occurs throughout a child’s life. Children’s mental health – their cognitive, behavioural and social wellbeing – is affected by this development, as well as other factors like trauma and abuse.

Specific changes occur at specific ages of life. Known as developmental milestones, these changes can help you track whether your child is developing at the correct pace. Failure to reach these milestones may indicate developmental disorders or genetic conditions.

Experts differ in their division of child development into different stages. Some have described children’s development in four stages, some in five stages and others in six stages. Although the number of stages differs, what remains essentially the same are the changes that take place at a particular age or age range. Because most developmental disorders are diagnosed by the time a child reaches adolescence, child development can be described in the five stages below.

1. Newborn

During the first two months of life, newborns react automatically to external stimuli. Newborns can move their head from side to side, see close-up objects, turn towards sounds and cry to indicate a need. By the third month of life, newborns start to smile at people.

2. Infant (up to 1 year)

3-6 months of age – infants can recognize familiar faces, begin to babble, control their head movements and bring their hands together.

6-9 months of age – infants start sitting without support, may bounce when held in a standing position and respond to people calling their name. Infants start communicating with gestures.

9-12 months old – children can point at things, pick up objects, crawl and even stand with support. Children can imitate sound and gestures.

3. Toddler (1-3 years)

When children are between 1-3 years of age, they can stand alone, learn to walk without help, begin to run and climb stairs with short steps. Children can wave bye-bye, hold a pencil or crayon, draw a circle, learn to say several words and even short sentences and even follow simple instructions.

4. Preschool (3-5 years)

Between 3-5 years of age, children’s motor skills become refined. Children can throw and catch a ball, skip and hop, learn to dress themselves and draw proper structures such as a flower. They can speak a complete, long sentence and even 2-3 sentences in a stretch easily. With toilet training, they begin to go to the toilet in the bathroom and use the facility all by themselves by the age of 4 years old.

5. School-age (6-17 years)

During this age, children learn to become independent and form their own opinions. Learning, speaking, and writing become well established. Children develop various emotions such as jealousy, love, and many more and can express them through words and gestures. They develop friendships and usually make best friends at this stage. Sexual development around and after puberty makes children interested in dating.

Developmental delay

Developmental delay refers to when a child does not reach the developmental milestones expected of children their age. Delays may occur in motor function, speech, hearing, or vision. Of course, if a child was born premature and has a milestone delay of a month or so, that is perfectly normal. It’s important to remember that each child develops at their own pace. So if your child doesn’t reach a certain milestone for that particular age, don’t panic or get anxious. Give it some time. If you are still worried about your child’s development, consult your GP.

Signs of physical developmental delay

3-5 months

• Does not put objects in their mouth
• Poor head and neck control
• Fails to reach for or grasp objects

7 months

• Cannot sit up without support
• Does not roll in both directions
• Muscle spasms
• Muscle stiffness
• Floppiness
• Does not bear weight on their legs when you pull them up to a standing position
• Difficulty swallowing

1 year

• Does not crawl
• Limping or awkward body posture
• Cannot stand with support

2 years

• Cannot push a wheeled toy
• Cannot walk
• Walks only on their toes
• Speech delay

Signs of speech or language delay

3-4 months

• Does not respond to loud noises
• Does not babble
• Begins babbling but does not try to imitate sounds

7 months

• Does not respond to sounds

1 year

• Does not use single words, such as “mama”
• Does not understand instructions, such as “no” or “bye-bye”

2 years

• Cannot speak at least 15 words
• Does not use 2-word phrases without repeating and can only imitate speech
• Does not use words to communicate more than immediate needs

Signs of social or emotional delay

3 months

• Does not smile at people
• Does not pay attention to new faces or seems frightened by them

7 months

• Hesitates to cuddle
• Shows no enjoyment being around people
• Cannot be comforted at night (after 5 months)
• Does not smile without prompting (by 5 months)
• Does not laugh or squeal (by 6 months)
• Shows no interest in playing peekaboo (by 8 months)
• Shows no affection for parents or caretakers

1 year

• Does not indulge in back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or facial expressions (at 9 months)
• Does not indulge in back-and-forth gestures, such as waving, reaching, or pointing

Additional resources/information

• www.parentingfocus.org
• www.familysupportni.gov.uk.
• Sure Start: All Sure Starts are listed on www.familysupportni.gov.uk.
  You will find your nearest SureStart project by choosing the Sure Start category and inputting your postcode.