Running

Head: DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ONE YEAR

Review of Developmental
Milestones for Infants
Katie Hodas
Charity School of Nursing

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ONE YEAR

Review of Developmental Milestones for Infants

After spending several hours with the children in a daycare location, an eight and a half
month old boy was chosen to further observe his developmental characteristics. He was wellkept and clean with appropriate attire for his age. He had bright, brown eyes with long eyelashes,
accentuated by a smile and a few teeth jutting out from his bottom gums. Throughout the
afternoon of playtime, the focus was on gaining insight on his developmental progress in
comparison to the theoretical work of Erikson and Piaget.
Eriksons Theory of Psychosocial Development highlights several key areas for children
of this age. Specifically, it states that
Phase I (birth to 1 year) is concerned with acquiring a sense of trust while overcoming a
sense of mistrust. The trust that develops is a trust of self, of others, and of the world.
Infants trust that their feeding, comfort, stimulation, and caring needs will be met. The
crucial element for the achievement of this task is the quality of both the parent-child (or
caregiver-child) relationship and the care the infant receives. The provision of food,
warmth, and shelter by itself is inadequate for the development of a strong sense of self.
The infant and parent must jointly learn to satisfactorily meet their needs in order for
mutual regulation of frustration to occur. When this synchrony fails to develop, mistrust
is the eventual outcome. (Perry, Hockenberry, Lowdermilk, & Wilson, 2014, p. 873-874).
Alongside Erikson is Jean Piaget, who was known for his cognitive development theory.
Piagets stage that most aligns with the child observed indicates that:
The period from birth to 24 months is termed the sensorimotor phase and is composed of
six stages; however, because this discussion is concerned with ages birth to 12 months,
only the first four stages are discussed. . . . During the sensorimotor phase, infants

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ONE YEAR

progress from reflex behaviors to simple repetitive acts to imitative activity. Three crucial
events take place during this phase. The first event involves separation, in which infants
learn to separate themselves from other objects in the environment. They realize that
others besides themselves control the environment and that certain readjustments must
take place for mutual satisfaction to occur. . . . The second major accomplishment is
achieving the concept of object permanence, or the realization that objects that leave the
visual field still exist. . . . This skill develops at approximately 9 to 10 months of age,
which corresponds to the time of increased locomotion skills. . . . The last major
intellectual achievement of this period is the ability to use symbols, or mental
representation. The use of symbols allows the infant to think of an object or situation
without actually experiencing it. The recognition of symbols is the beginning of the
understanding of time and space. Perry et al., 2014, p. 874-875
Additionally, Perry and colleagues discussed the language development levels of children
in the age range of the child observed. The authors stated that a childs language skills have
developed enough at eight months to use the consonant sounds t, d, w, along with recognizing
familiar words and listening accordingly. Children in this stage are also able to make noises in
reference to emphases and emotion, and combine syllables, such as mama, without giving them
any meaning (2014). For the duration of our few hours of play, he was relatively quiet. Although
the child did not produce distinguishable consonant sounds or the common sounds of mama or
dada, he did laugh. He recognized his mother when she arrived to pick him up and whined to
gain her attention. His failure to display certain skills during this short observation period does
not necessarily indicate that he is lacking in this area of development.

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ONE YEAR

Perry et al., makes reference to major motor skills such as sitting unsupported for an
extended period of time, standing and bearing weight with support and holding onto furniture
while standing, pulling up to a standing position, and redirecting posture to reach an object that
should be attained by eight months (2014).. The child displayed all of these behaviors. He
displayed moving around the room and gaining access to the toys or person(s) that he wanted. He
displayed the ability to cling to furniture while standing, bear his own weight, and sit stationary
as nursery songs were sung to him. The only gross motor skill not displayed was his ability to
completely pull up to the standing position from the seated or crawling position. However, this
skill appeared to be emerging.
Perry et al. (2014), provided a list of relevant social skills for the second six months of
life. They stated that separation from the parent and related anxiety, fear of new people,
responses to the word no, and the childs displeasure with dressing, undressing, and diaper
changes are appropriate and expected during this stage. After a few minutes of establishing
rapport and developing a sense of trust, he allowed me to hold and play with him. Distractions
were used to make the diaper changing process go smoothly, which also curbed his desire to
constantly wiggle or turnover. He responded with ease when told no to correct his behavior.
According to Perry et al. (2014), play and socialization reinforce communication
developmental milestones. Specifically,
The social smile is an early step in social communication. This has a profound effect on
family members and is a tremendous stimulus for evoking continued responses from
others. By 4 months, infants laugh aloud. . . . Play is a major socializing agent and
provides stimulation needed to learn from and interact with the environment. By age 6
months, infants are personable. They play games such as peekaboo when their head is

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ONE YEAR

hidden in a towel, they signal their desire to be picked up by extending their arms, and
they show displeasure when a toy is removed or their face is washed (p. 876).
The client displayed all of the above social communication and play behaviors. Additionally he
fully devoted attention as songs were sung to him, cried when other children were given
attention, displayed specific preferences to certain toys, and laughed at adult silliness to entertain
him.
Based on observations, this child appears to have met all developmental milestones
appropriate for his age. His calm behavior, personality, and social skills appeared to be aligned
with his same-age peers. Corresponding with Piagets sensorimotor phase, he has learned some
degree of separation, evidenced by his ability to cope each day when dropped off at daycare; he
should soon discover object permanence, which will help him progress toward the use of
symbols, increased locomotion, and beginning perception of time and space. At this time, he
exhibits no developmental delays and no concerns were observed. He has an emerging skill of
completely pulling up to the standing position from the seated or crawling position and did not
display discernable verbal skills during this observation and interaction.

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ONE YEAR

References
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society. W. W. Norton & Company, New York, NY.
Perry, S. E., & Hockenberry, M. J., Lowdermilk, D. L., & Wilson, D. (2014). Maternal child
nursing care (Fifth ed.). Elsevier Mosby, St. Louis, MO.
Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. (M. Cook, Trans. 2nd ed.). International
Universities Press, New York, NY.