Milestones Child Development

Health professionals should be constantly and consistently assessing for signs of abnormal development in children of all ages. Babies tend to develop at their own speed, sometimes falling behind in one area or advanced in another. As long as development falls within a normal range, reaching a milestone late is usually not a cause for concern. However, if a baby consistently reaches milestones much later than expected, it should be discussed with that child’s provider.
Babies develop in several areas, and parents and nurses should take notice if a child is having difficulty in a particular one. Developmental areas to evaluate include: fine motor skills, including grasping objects; gross motor skills, such as walking; receptive skills, such

Typically, adolescents exercise their independence by questioning and sometimes breaking rules. Parents and healthcare providers must distinguish occasional errors of judgment from a degree of misbehavior that requires professional intervention. The severity and frequency of infractions are guides. For example, regular drinking, frequent episodes of fighting, truancy, and theft are much more significant than isolated episodes of the same activities. Other warning signs include deterioration of performance at school and running away from home. Of particular concern are adolescents who cause serious injury or use a weapon in a fight. (Levy, 2015, p.

Parents in non-maltreating families show more positive interactions between the parent and child, and mothers use more positive discipline approaches (e.g., reasoning, cooperation, approval). They have a warm and close relationship with the child as well as their partner, and help the child to gain a sense of mastery and competency in some area. They take advantage of positive behaviors by reinforcing and praising them; they have fewer aversive interactions with child, and are able to quickly end them. They provide structure for the child, give clear and simple instructions, and appear relaxed. They are able to soothe the child’s distress and distract them at times from potential conflicts by refocusing their attention on other activities. They teach skills to gain social support and make friends, helping the child learn ways to resolve conflicts, reach compromises and find common play activities, and empathize with distressed peers and siblings. The parent is likely to be non-defensive and self-aware, and have good