Many a times’ parents keep in check to know if their little one is developing at the right pace as per their expectations. This has since been made easy all thanks to the Modern-day technologies that have brought together different types of apps to this effect. Developmental milestone therefore responds to that and is basically what is expected of a child at a certain age or as Wikipedia would put it “it is the physical behavioral changes observed in children as they develop.” This could be as simple as rolling over, smiling, crawling or talking all considered as grand milestones.
Developmental milestone is an important and easy way of monitoring a Child’s progress through growth and development; also help in determining a Child’s potential at every stage. Keeping track through a Child’s development helps a parent notice if the child is having any delayed development in time for assisted help.
Developmental Milestones can be further placed into four important categories:
First it’s the physical milestones which are the major driving engines in the Child’s body, coherently the parts that help a child sit, crawl, turn over, touch and stand.
Secondly is the cognitive milestone which simply puts a meaning to the word itself. Brings together the child’s developmental ability to learn, think, and understand.
Thirdly is the emotional or social milestone. This is the backbone of expressions that govern the child through response to any form of interactions or attachment.
Lastly is the communication milestone. This is probably the string that holds everything together, responds to a Child’s ability to make any verbal or none verbal communication.
In the quest to keep abreast, the Modern-day parents have turned to development screenings which help in monitoring a child’s growth and progress all thanks to modern technologies. Simply put, developmental milestone screening is a refined way of aiding a professional by identifying if a child’s development is abnormally slow and would require some support. This also helps parents keep track of the day-to-day activities of their child, and know when to raise an alarm. It may sound exhausting, but it is through this that a parent may be able to live fully and be present through a Child’s progress.
What is the importance of tracking the development milestones?
We tend to live by the fact that children are different and therefore it is easier for a child to lag behind without the knowledge of the parent. In a normal development pattern a one-year-old child should sit alone, push self to a standing position, smile, get the first tooth, speak the first words, roll over easily and walk with the support of furniture. It therefore becomes a thing of concern when a child at this age fails to show any of these signs. It is okay to delay a bit because they definitely have different paces, but when the delay comfortably overlaps into the next milestone then it’s a course for an alarm, and it takes a tracking mother to note this in time.
Trackers also aid the physicians through the Child’s milestone. When you run your Child’s journey by the pediatrician, they assist by keeping tabs of every minor progress shown. Normally doctors have development milestone check forms that every parent who involves them in their Child’s life fills upon every visit. It is through these forms that your doctor will help identify any problem and quickly draw your attention to it. For instance, a mother may fail to notice any form or sign of autism on their child while the doctor easily detects the signs mainly by reading through the form and basically being observant on the child.
It may act in the nick of time. Children experiencing developmental delays may most likely need some form of therapy to aid the situation. In such cases an early intervention is paramount; any disabled child may need to go through an early life therapy to learn new skills that may come in handy through their growth and development. Disabled children are often slow in everything they do and this definitely hinders fast development, it pays to detect the abnormalities in time to commence therapy in time and not be left behind.
A stitch in time saves nine, so they say, sometimes it may not be a lifetime deformity, but late detecting may cause havoc and make it one. With the use of a good tracker and off course a keen parent, one may be able to save a child from a lifetime disability. It helps to monitor keenly and speak as and when you feel something isn’t going right. There are cases that with the right diagnosis can be easily arrested at the onset stages.
Despite these Developmental Milestones always taking place during a particular period, there stands one important caveat. You as a parent or caregiver must remain in cognizant of the fact that every child is unique and may never hit the milestones at the same time. Some may arrive at the destined time, while others may either drag a little or arrive early. Alternatively, they may arrive at the same time, but maybe one may perfect the craft before the other. Whichever way it goes, individual differences will have been registered and should never be confused with disability.
Be sure to remember that developmental abilities build on one another. It takes a minor ability like crawling to build a major one, such as walking and this has no designated spacing. That one child crawled at 6 months and another at 9 months doesn’t mean they can’t walk at the same time. However, also note that personality plays a grant role on your child’s development, and this can be vividly observed in cases of multiples (twins). It is easier to have one child more active and aggressive than the other.
It is by understanding these developmental milestones that you may be able to work hand in hand with your doctors towards creating better development milestones for your child. Finally, always trust your instincts through your child development milestone tracking. Do not sit on any information as a little may unknowingly be too much.
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