Developmental Milestones
By: PETER-TOM ADDAUAN CALLANG
Why is it important?
Milestones enables us to monitor a
baby’s learning, behavior, and
development.
Milestones help to mark progress along
a child’s developmental journey.
Milestones provide important guidelines
for tracking healthy development from
four months to adolescence.
Milestones
are changes in specific physical and mental
abilities (such as walking and understanding
language) that mark the end of one
developmental period and the beginning of
another.
indicate stage transition
are a set of functional skills or age-specific
tasks that most children can do at a certain
age range.
A photo of a group of mothers together with their
infants, a time when moms often compare their
children's milestones...
A photo of a baby smiling, a developmental milestone
that most babies reach by the time that they are six to
eight weeks old.
March 17, 2007
two types of smiles for babies:
the spontaneous or almost reflexive smile
that can occur early in the newborn
period. (2 months)
the social smile that occurs in response to
something, like when you talk or sing to
your baby. (3 months)
Laughs in response to environment
(4 months)
Stages of Growth and Development
Neonatal birth to 28 days
Infancy 1 month to 1 year
Toddlerhood 1 to 3 years
Preschool 3 to 6 years
Schoolage 6 to 12 years
Adolescence 12 to 20 years
Adulthood 20 years and after
Milestones for the infants
Five Major Periods:
1. The neonatal period
2. 1 to 4 months
3. 5-6 months
4. 7 to 9 months
5. 10 to 12 months
Infants
birth to 1 year
Basic task –survival
Breathing
Sleeping
Eating/sucking
Swallowing
Digesting
Eliminating
Weight
At birth - 2.7- 3.8 kg
6 months - twice the birth weight
12 months - thrice the birth weight
Height
Average length 50cm (20 in)
Two recumbent lengths
Crown-to-rump length (top of the
head to the baby’s buttocks)
Head-to-heel length (top of head to
heel to base of heel)
Height Measurements
Head Molding and Circumference
Misshapen
Molding of the head
Fontanelles-
unossified membranous gaps in the skull
Sutures-
junction lines of the skull bones
Anterior fontanel
Diamond-shaped
Gradually decreases at 6 months and
closes at 9 months
Posterior Fontanel
Located between the parietal bones and
occipital bones
Closes 4-8 weeks after birth
Photo of baby seconds after delivery
Vision
4 months Follow and react to
bright colors, movement, and
objects?
6 months able to recognize
colors
9 months can recognize facial
characteristics and often smiles to
a familiar face.
12 months able to recognize
where a change in level occurs
(edge of bed)
Hearing
Few days able to
distinguish different sounds
5 months will pause
while sucking to listen to a
voice
9 months able to
locate source of sound
12 months listens to
sounds, distinguish words
and responds
Smell and Taste
Prefer sweet tastes
Tend to decrease their
sucking to fluids with
salty content
Able to smell mother’s
milk and respond to this
by turning towards the
mother
Touch
Sensitive to extreme
Well-developed at birth
Skin-to-skin touching is
essential
Positive response
Warmth, love, security
Reflexes
Unconcscious, involutary responses
Neither learned nor consciously carried
out
Nervous system responses to stimuli
Sucking Reflex
Feeding reflex
that occurs when
infant’s lips are
touched
Rooting Reflex
Feeding reflex
elicited by touching
the baby’s cheek
causing the baby’s
cheek to turn to the
side that was
touched
Disappears at 4
months
Moro reflex
Infant reacts by
extending both arms and
legs outward with the
fingers spread, then
suddenly retracting the
limbs
Cries at the same time
Disappears after 4
months
Palmar grasp reflex
Occurs when a small
object is placed against
the palm of the hand
causing the fingers to
curl around it.
Disappears after 3
months
Plantar reflex
Occurs when an
object is placed
beneath the toes
causes it to curl
around it.
Disappears after 8
months
Tonic neck reflex (TNR)/fencing reflex
Postural reflex
Baby’s head to the right
side and the left side of
the body shows a flexing
of the left arm and the
left leg
Disappears after 4
months
Stepping reflex (walking or Dancing reflex)
The legs move up and
down (as if walking)
when the baby is held
upright with feet
touching s\a flat surface
Babinski reflex
When the sole of the foot
is stroked, the big toe
rises and the other toes
fan out.
Negative babinski –
after age 1- toes curl
down
Positive babinski- after
1 year- brain injury
Retained Neonatal
(Primitive) Reflexes
Moro Reflex
retained alarm response can contribute
to hyper-excitability, agitation, and
difficulty socializing.
Rooting Reflex
Thumb sucking and fussy eating can be
attributed to the retention of this reflex.
As the tongue sits too far forward (as if
ready to suck), it may result in speech
and articulation problems, dribbling,
and difficulty swallowing and chewing.
Plantar Reflex
Balance, walking and coordination may
be affected by this retained reflex.
This may put pressure on the pelvis
and, in turn, cause low back or hip
strain.
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck
Reflex
Important for hand-eye coordination
and distance perception.
Some of the more obvious patterns
relating to this retained reflex are
messy hand writing, disturbed walking
and poor eye-body skills such as weak
catching/kicking abilities.
Palmar Reflex
A child can describe retention of this
reflex as “it’s hard getting my ideas
from my head, down my arm, and onto
paper”.
This can disturb both the flow of writing
and expression of thoughts. This reflex
is important for fine motor control.
Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex
Retention of this reflex affects gross motor
skills.
Children are more injury prone, clumsy, and
may find it difficult to coordinate their upper
and lower body together.
Exercise may not be enjoyed but once
corrected, we commonly see an eagerness to
exercise and an improved performance
running and swimming.
Motor development
Baby’s ability to
move and to
control the body.
1 month
Can lift head
momentarily when
prone
turns the head when
prone
Head lag when
pulled in a sitting
position
2 months
Can raise heads
from a prone
position
6 months
Can sit without
support
9 months
Can reach
Grasp a rattle, and
transfer it from hand
to hand
Every child is unique!
Thank you.
