Developmental Milestones

Question 1

What is the latest age that a child should be walking independently?

Answer 1

at 18 months

Question 2

what are some key questions you should ask to assess a child’s development in terms of the social domain?

Answer 2

Can they wave bye-bye, recognise parents?
What do they enjoy doing?
Do they undertake any imaginative play?
How do they interact with friends, siblings?
How do they approach/deal with strangers?
Are they toilet trained?
Any obsessional/repetitive behaviours?
Parallel play or social play with others?

Question 3

what typical milestones are there for a 6, 9, 12 month old child in terms of language and communication?

Answer 3

6months- responds to name

9months- can usually say ‘mama’ and ‘papa’

12months- understands simple commands and can say 2-3 words with meaning

Question 4

tell me the archetypal story for a 18 month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 4

Sir Charming Baby: needs to get note to Rapunzel so scribbles note on paper to throw into high 4 block tower, catapult has cup on end, shoves note in with spoon, and throws note at tower, hitting Rapunzel in the face

18 months: Throw, scribble, 4 block tower, 1 step command, uses spoon/cup, points to parts of body

Question 5

tell me the archetypal story for a 9month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 5

Watch Dog Baby: crawls to window, pulls to stand to see out, points at stranger in yard and says “mama” to get attention of parents.

9 months: Crawl, pull to stand, point, specific babbling (mama, dada), stranger anxiety

Question 6

at what age would we expect a child to be dry by day?

Answer 6

2-3 yrs old

Question 7

what are the general goals that a baby should achieve by 1 year?

Answer 7

gross motor- walking
language- one word with meaning
fine motor- neat pincer grip

Question 8

what is an indicator of gross motor delay in a 6 month old?

Answer 8

persistent moro reflex

head lag

Question 9

at what age would we expect a child to begin running?

Answer 9

24 months

Question 10

How might we assess whether a 6, 9, 12 month old child has reached their developmental milestone in terms of gross motor function?

Answer 10

6months: Sitting with support
9months: Sitting without support; crawling

12 months: Walking with assistance (1 hand holding onto something); can go from lying to sitting position

Question 12

tell me the archetypal story for a 4month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 12

Fat Happy Baby: baby is rolling and laughing and cooing because he just discovered midline and is reaching for cake that he will cram into his mouth

4 months: lift head 90 degrees/raise up to chest, roll over, find midline, reach for objects, puts objects in mouth, coos (these are vowel sounds), and laughs

Question 13

why is a preference for a certain hand in a child less than 1 yrs old cause of concern?

Answer 13

may indicate an underlying motor issue or hemiplegia.

preference for handedness develops from 1-2 yrs or later

Question 14

when should the infant begin to fix and follow with their eyes?

Answer 14

6 weeks

Question 15

what are some causes of gross motor developmental delay? And what Ix do you order?

Answer 15

central motor deficit= cerebral palsy

myopathy e.g. duchenne’s

spinal problem e.g. spina bifida

part of a wider syndrome

thyroid deficiency

FBE/UEC/TSH/B12/Folate
+/- Microarray/chromosomal analysis (if dysmorphic features)
+/- MRI brain

Question 16

what are the general milestones from birth to 1 yr in terms of gross motor?

Answer 16

2 months- lift head to 45 degrees
4 months- roll over
6 months- sit
9 months- crawl
12 months- begin to walk with assistance

Question 17

at what age should a child begin to use a spoon to feed themselves safely?

Answer 17

18 months

Question 18

what are some characteristics of chronic heart failure in an infant?

Answer 18

flushed in the face with feeds
failure to thrive
poor feeding
sweating with feeding

Question 19

When should a child be able to stack 2 cubes

Answer 19

15 months

Question 20

what are some key questions you should ask to assess a child’s development in terms of the language domain?

Answer 20

What was their first word, and when was it?

How many words do they know?

Do they indicate their hand preference?

Are they able to follow any instructions?
-Differentiate between one step commands and 2 step commands

Do they know the alphabet?

Question 21

tell me the archetypal story for a 5 year old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 21

Oz Baby: ties ruby shoes, skips down Yellow Brick Road back to Kansas

5 years: Skip, Tie shoes, Difference between reality/fantasy

Question 22

if a child still cannot walk independently by 18 months, what might be the cause?

Answer 22

normal variant delay (especially if child doesn’t crawl but commando creeps/bottom shuffles)

cerebral palsy
primary muscular disorder
global developmental delay

Question 23

at what age should we expect a child to begin imaginative play?

Answer 23

18 months - 24 months

Question 24

at what age should a child perform a ‘neat pincer grip’?

Answer 24

10-12 months

Question 25

When should a child be able to stack 8 cubes?

Answer 25

2 and a half yrs

Question 26

at 12 months- how many words should a child know/understand?

Answer 26

2-3 words with meaning

Question 27

When should a child be able to stack 4 cubes

Answer 27

18 months

Question 28

what is the average birth weight for a newborn?

Answer 28

approx 3.5kg

Question 29

tell me the archetypal story for a 2month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 29

Parent’s Little Baby: looks up to sound, smiles because he sees both his parents, one on either side of midline

2 months: lift head 45 degrees (when laying on face), turns to sound, follows objects past midline, social smile

Question 31

tell me the archetypal story for a 6month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 31

Street-Corner Baby: sitting up on sidewalk, transferring a rake from hand to hand while babbling at people he thinks he recognizes

6 months: sit up with no head lag, raking grasp, transfer objects between hands, babbles (consonants), recognizes familiar faces

Question 32

at what age should we expect a child to have fluent speech and articulation?

Answer 32

4-5 yrs old

Question 33

tell me the archetypal story for a 4 year old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 33

Bedtime Story Baby: really wants story time, so runs up stairs, hops on one foot to undress, so she and mom can read a story together. A Wrinkle in Time.

4 years: Stairs (alternating feet), hop, undresses, 1 foot (4 seconds), 4 word phrases (complete sentences), cooperative play

Question 34

what are some key questions you should ask to assess a child’s development in terms of the gross motor domain?

Answer 34

When did they start crawling?
When did they start walking?
Can they walk backwards?
When did they start running?
Are they able to climb stairs?

Question 35

When should a child be able to stack 6 cubes

Answer 35

24 months

Question 36

what are some normal newborn behavioural characteristics?

Answer 36

Wake regularly for feeds
Suck strongly on the breast
Rousable to normal activity
Normal sounding cry
Flexed posture with some tone

Question 37

what is the language capability of a child at 2 yrs?

Answer 37

at least 50 words

simple 3 word phrases

Question 39

at what age should a child begin to physically point their finger or follow with attention?

Answer 39

12 months. if they can’t, then it indicates developmental delay

Question 40

tell me the archetypal story for a 12 month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 40

Playful Zombie Baby: walking at you, snapping pincers, repeating one word over and over (brrraaaaains), and just wants to play patacake and peekaboo before waving bye bye.

12 months: Walk, pincer grasp, 1 word, patacake, bye bye, peekaboo

Question 40

tell me the archetypal story for a 3 year old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 40

James Bond Baby: springs into action . . . jumps into 3-piece suit, stands in front of mirror and says full name, jumps on tricycle. “You.Me. I,” is his pickup line.

3 years: Jump, Tricycle, dresses self (shirt, pants, shoes), full name, “you, me, I”

Question 41

in what order do we see the 4 domains of development begin to emerge in a growing infant?

Answer 41

gross motor –> fine motor + vision–> hearing + language/speech –> social behaviour

Question 42

what must you order for a child who first presents with difficulties reaching milestones for language and communication?

Answer 42

audiometry test

Question 43

tell me the archetypal story for a 15 month old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 43

Little Sister Baby: wants to be just like big sister, walks confidently to the blocks and imitates making a 2 block tower

15 months: walks well, imitates, controlled release of blocks (can stack 2)

Question 43

at what age should object permanence be achieved? what does object permanence mean?

Answer 43

object permanence refers to the understanding that objects exist even when they cannot be observed.

object permanence should be achieved by 12 months

Question 43

what does protoimperative and protodeclarative mean in terms of a child’s development, and when should it occur by?

Answer 43

Proto-imperative- indicates needs and wants with pointing

Proto-declarative- points and shares interest with somebody else

–> should be able to see this by 18 months

Question 44

tell me the archetypal story for a 2 year old. What milestones would we expect?

Answer 44

Bad Twins: mom gives two commands to twin boys to run to the stairs, then walk up the 25 stairs. Each walks up the 25 stairs not helping the other.

2 years: Run, stairs (1 foot at a time), 20-50 words, 2 step command, parallel play

Question 45

When should a child be able to imitate a vertical line?

Answer 45

Around 3 yrs

Question 46

When should a child begin to draw a person in 3 parts?

Answer 46

Around 4 yrs