Developmental Milestones by Stage

Developmental Milestones: Infants

Age
2-6 months

Motor
-Lifts head
-Rolls over
-Reaching

Socio-Emotional
-Social smile,
-Decreased
fussiness

6-9 months

-Sits independently
-Crawls
-Pulls to stand
-Reaching and
grasping
-Exploring with
hands and mouth

-Preferred
attachment figure
(Stranger anxiety
and Separation
Anxiety)

9-12 months

-Cruising
-May start to walk
independently
-Pincer grasp

-Height of
separation anxiety
-Height of
activation of the
attachment system

12-18 months

-Walks well

-Beginning of
symbolic (pretend)
play
- Social referencing
(look at mother for
emotional cues
about a novel
situation)

18-24 months

-Walks up and down

steps with help

-Beginnings of selfrecognition (sees

self as separate
person from others,
can recognize self
in a mirrors and
pictures)
-Decreased
separation anxiety

Cognitive
-Visual scanning
-Associations
between looks and
sounds
-Object
permanence (I
remember Mom so
I am distressed
when she is not
here)
-Intentionality:
cause and effect
-Wariness of
novelty
- Action sequences
to achieve goals
(purposefully drops
spoon on metal pot
to hear interesting
sound it makes)
-Can begin to
categorize objects
(will touch all of
one type of toy
before touching the
other type of toy)
-Beginnings of
symbolic
representation
(allows for pretend
play, imagination,
imitation from
memory, language)

Language
-Babbling
social vocalizing

-Deferred imitation
(imitation from
memory)
-Able to follow
complex verbal
instructions (Put
the toy under the
table; give me the
bigger ball)

-2-word
sentences

-Says dada and

mama to both
parents

-Jargoning
-Combining
syllables
-First words

-50 words

24-30 months

-Kicks ball
-Starts to jump
-Increased fine motor
dexterity

-Mastery
motivation
(pleasure in own
accomplishments)
-Distinct sense of
self

-Mastery of object
permanence
-Able to set goals
in play &work to
achieve
them/planful
problem solving
-Appearance =
reality (a mask
actually changes a
person into a
monster)

-100-300 word
vocabulary

30-36 months

-Throws ball
-Strings beads
-Builds block tower
-Holds cup or spoon
without spilling
-Dresses self (no
buttons or shoelaces)

-Emotional
regulation begins
-Impulse control
begins

-Increase in
memory capacity
-Conceptual
representations
(can see a pile of
blue bots, red
boats, blue dolls,
and red dolls and
figure out how to
categorize first into
boats and dolls and
then subcategorize
by color)

-Language
explosion
-Uses brief
sentences

Developmental Milestones: Preschool-Aged Children

Age
3-year-old

Motor
- Jumps
- Stands on one foot
- Can undress self
- Climbs stairs with
alternating feet
- Begins to show
hand preference
- Rides a tricycle
- Copies a circle

Socio-Emotional
- Plays alone and in
parallel
- Labels basic
emotions: mad,
sad, happy
- Identifies self as
boy or girl
-Imitates others in
more complex
ways

Cognitive
- Symbolic Play
- Concrete thinking
- Egocentrism
- Magical thinking
- Animism

Language
- Give first and
last name
- Uses 3-4 word
sentences
- Constantly
asking questions
- Follows 2-3
step commands
- By the end of
the 3rd year: 900-1100 words

4-year-old

- Climb on a jungle
gym
- Throw a ball
overhand
- Button and lace
- Feed self neatly
- Pour from a pitcher
- Dress and wash self
- Copy a cross

- Cooperative play
or small group play
- Increasing
independence
- Begin to
understand the
concept of
friendship
- Expanded

- Perspective taking
begins to emerge
- Poor
understanding of
past and future

- 5 word
sentences
- Tells stories
- Basic grammar
- Same and
different
- Colors

5-year-old

- Draws a person
(head, 2 appendages,
2 eyes, no torso yet)

understanding of
more complex
feelings
(frustration,
disappointment)

- Skip smoothly
- Catch a ball
- Good balance
- Copy a triangle
- Draws a person with
8 details

- Begin to engage
in planning
- Dramatic play
- Empathy and
leadership begin to
emerge
- Can follow rules
but likely to change
them so she/he can
win
- Can create stories
- Better able to wait
- Manage
frustration and
disappointment

- Time: beginning
understanding of
concepts of
yesterday and
tomorrow
- Identify
similarities and
differences
between objects

- Greater than 5word sentences

- Future tense
- Articulation is
clear and correct
- Answers to
questions are
more succinct
-Hypothetical and
conditional
clauses

Cognitive
6yo
- Conservation
- Reversibility
- Thinking becomes
more covert and
private taking on a
self regulatory and
problem solving
function
- Longer attention
span (15-20
minutes)
- Can classify an
object by more than
one dimension
(color and shape)

Language
6-8yo
- No evidence of
sound
substitutions (fr
for thr) (6y)
- Defines words
by use

Developmental Milestones Middle Childhood

Age
6-12-years-old

Motor
- Balance,
equilibrium improved
- Riding two-wheeled
bike
- Tie shoes
- Wink
- Snap fingers
- Whistle
- Draws person with
correct body
proportions
- Copy a diamond
(7y)
- Copy cylinder (9y)
- Copy a 3D square
(11y)

Socio-Emotional
6yo-8yo
- Firm grasp on
rules
- Ability to
cooperate when
playing games
- Express feelings
behaviorally
learning to label
feelings
- Friends become
increasing
important
- Same-sex
playmates
- Desire to perform
well
- Cooperate and
compete while
playing games (8y)
- Beginning to see
point of view of
others (8y)
- Delayed
gratification (8y)

8-10yo
- Reading
independently
Special interests or
hobbies
Enjoys planning
and organizing
tasks

8-10yo
-Defines words
by more than use
- Can make a
sentence when
given 3 words

10yo
- Fascination with
making, changing,
and negotiating
rules
- Interest in
opposite sex
emerges
- Friends over
family
- Play team
sports/games with
rules

10-12yo
- Deduction and
Induction
- Metacognitive
abilities
- Interpret simple
proverbs

Developmental Milestones: Adolescents

Age
Early
Adolescence
(12-14yo)

Physical/Motor
- Awkward in gross
motor activity
- Fine motor skills
continue to improve
- Gains in height and
weight
- Puberty
- Secondary sexual
characteristics appear
- Shifts in sleep
patterns stay up
later, sleep later

Socio-Emotional
-Emerging identity
shaped by internal
and external
influences
-Friendships gain
importance
- Realization that
parents are not
perfect;
identification of
own faults
-Regression to
childish behaviors
during times of
stress
-Challenge
authority, family;
anti-parent
-Loneliness
- Moodiness
-Things of
childhood rejected
-Argumentative
-Peer influence
prominent

Cognitive
- Concrete thought
dominates: here
and now
- Cause-effect
relationships
underdeveloped
-Stronger self
than social
awareness
-Reacts
emotionally rather
than logically under
stress

Language
-Adult-level
language skills
-Use slang or
jargon in
communication

Middle
Adolescence
(15-17 yo)

- Males show
continued height and
weight gains while
females growth
slows
-Secondary sexual

- Conflict with
family due to
ambivalence about
emerging
independence
-Strong peer

-Increased ability to
use abstract thought
and logic reverts
to concrete thought
when stressed
-Able to handle

-Adult-level
language skills
-Use slang or
jargon in
communication

Late
Adolescence
(18-21 yo)

characteristics
continue to develop

allegiances
-Explore ability to
date
-Examination of
inner experiences
(journaling)
- Self-involvement
-Alternating
between
unrealistically high
expectations and
worries about
failure
-Concerns about
appearance and
body
-Lowered opinion
of and withdrawal
from parents
-Development of
sexual identity
-Feeling of
invincibility
(nothing bad will
happen to me)
-Development of
sense of moral
judgment and inner
value system

hypothetical
situations or
thoughts
-Intellectual
interests gain
importance
-Ability to use
introspection
-Internal growth of
self esteem
-Beginning of
development of
occupational
identity

-Most young women

are fully developed
- Men continue to
gain weight and
height

- Firmer sense of
identity
- Increased
emotional stability
- Increased concern
for others
-Increased
independence and
self-reliance
- Peer relationships
remain importanct
-Social and cultural
traditions regain
importance

-Ability to think
ideas through from
beginning to end
-Ability to delay
gratification
-Ability to use
abstract thought
and logic
-Able to handle
hypothetical
situations or
thoughts
-Ability to use
introspection
-Internal growth of
self esteem
- Continued interest
in moral reasoning

-Adult-level
language skills
-Use slang or
jargon in
communication

Cognitive Development Piaget

A. Sensorimotor stage (birth -2) learning through action, exploration of motor functions,
producing effects on objects, object permanence develops, exploration of objects. The infant/toddler
develops schemas (representations of the environment) and uses these schemas, along with
assimilation/accommodation in his/her exploration. Assimilation taking a new object/experience and
grouping it with other objects in his schema which have the same or a similar function. Accommodation
modifying a schema to account for new information.
B. Preoperational stage (2-7) Two substages:
1) symbolic activity and make believe play (2-4) Acquisition of language allows children to
think and reason symbolically rather than motorically as in the sensorimotor stage. Children
are able to talk about or request objects not in sight. Some limitations of their thinking: can
only think from own perspective (egocentric), can only attend to one perceptual dimension or
attribute at a time, no concept of time. Child may know sequence of daily routine (e.g.
mealtime, playtime, bedtime), but no concept of minutes or hours. Also difficult to distinguish
between reality/fantasy. Cannot distinguish cause and effect relationships. Child may think
events are related merely due to temporal relationship or other illogical connections.
2) decentration (4-7) Child begins to recognize other points of views. This typically comes
about due to language development and socialization (e.g. school) in which the child begins to
interact with others and realizes that what she/he thinks may not be the same as what his/her
peers think.
C. Concrete Operational stage (7-11) Child no longer thinks one-dimensionally. For example,
two variables (e.g. height and weight) can now be taken into account at once. Child achieves
conservation ability to realize that mass/volume does not change, merely due to physical changes (water
beaker example).
D. Formal Operational stage (12-18) Child now capable of abstract thinking, scientific
thinking, and engaging in philosophical discussions. Child can use hypotheses, experiment, make
deductions, and reason from the particular to the general. (See also lecture on adolescence)

Psychosocial Development Erikson

Trust vs Mistrust (0-1 years-infancy)
- In the first years of life, infants depend on others for food, warmth, and affection, and
therefore, must be able to blindly trust their caregivers.
- If needs are consistently met and parents respond t the infant, the infant will develop a secure
attachment to parents and learn to trust their environment.
- If not, infants develop mistrust towards people, their environment, and then themselves.
Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (1-2 years-toddlers)
- Toddlers lean to walk, talk, use toilets, and do things for themselves. Their self-control and
self-confidence begins to develop.

If parents encourage their childs use of initiative and reassure her when mistakes are made,
the child will develop the confidence needed to cope with future situations that require
choice, control, and independence.
If parents are overpowering, controlling, or disapproving of the childs attempts at
independence, the child may feel ashamed and doubt in her abilities.

Initiative vs Guilt (2-6 years early childhood)

- Children have developed new motoric skills and are more engaged in social interactions.
They are working to achieve balance between eagerness for adventure and learning to control
fantasies.
- If parents are encouraging, and consistent in discipline, children will learn to accept that some
things are not allowed, but they will feel encouraged to use their imagination and engage in
make-believe role plays.
- If parents are not supportive, children will develop a sense of guilt and may believe it is
wrong to be independent.
Industry vs Inferiority (6-12 years middle childhood)
- School is the important event at this stage.
- Children learn to make things, use tools, and acquire skills.
- Transition from home to the world of school and peers.
- Children develop a sense of competence as they are encouraged to discover pleasure in
intellectual pursuits, to be productive, and to seek success.
- If they fail in these arenas, they will not have a sense of accomplishment and will feel
inferior.
Identity vs Role Confusion (12-18 years adolescence)
- Youth begin to ask, Who am I? This is the most significant conflict a person must face.
- If able to explore self, and if all prior conflicts are resolved, the adolescent will develop a
strong sense of self.
- If unsuccessful, the adolescent will sink into confusion, unable to make decisions and
choices. He may struggle with vocational, orientation, and general life decisions.

Erikson characterized additional stages in his model of psychosocial development that are not covered
here because they are outside of the scope of this lecture. (Intimacy vs Isolation, Generativity vs
Stagnation, and Integrity vs Despair)

Psychosexual Development - Sigmund Freud

Oral Stage
- Birth through 2 years
- During this age, the mouth is the primary source of pleasure: eating, sucking, everything goes
in the mouth
- If a person is orally fixated, the may bite their nails, chew on pens, smoke
Anal Stage
- Age 2-3 years
- Focus on toilet training
- Hypothesized: Strict with toilet treatment may be obsessively neat vs not strict more
creative

Phallic Stage
- Age 3-6 years
- Self-manipulation and exploration
- Oedipus Complex: Son in in love with his mother and view father as the competition.
Eventually, the boy identifies with the father and comes to have harmless affection for the
mother.
- Electra Complex is the female counterpart that occur between girl and her father.
Latency Stage
- Age 6-12 year old
- Sexual motivations take a backseat to developing skills and other activities
Genital State
- After puberty into adulthood
- Deepest feelings of pleasure come from sexual relationships with other adults

Separation Individuation Theory Margaret Mahler

Normal Symbiotic Phase: (4-6week 5 months)
The infant is aware of the mother but has no sense of individuality of its own. The infant develops its
first human bond with the mother who responds to the infants needs for positive stimuli (cuddling,
smiling, attention), relief of discomfort (feeding when hungry, changing dirty diaper), etc. As a result, the
infant develops a trust that its needs will be met.
Separation-Individuation Phase: This phase is broken down into sub-phases. During this phase, the
infant begins to connect with its environment and the people within it. Separation refers to the
development of limits and to the differentiation in the infants mind between infant and mother.
Individuation refers to the development of the infants ego, sense of identity, and cognitive abilities. The
following are the three sub-phases:
Differentiation/Hatching: (5-10 months)
The infant becomes increasingly aware of its surroundings and is interested in them. The
infant cannot yet understand that mother exists outside of its view, and thus, the first
signs of separation anxiety are noted. As the infant explore the environment, the infant
will check back to see that the mother is still present as it begins to explore the
environment.
Practicing: (10-16months)
The infant is increasingly mobile and can explore its environment. Infants will separate
briefly from mother but return for assurance and comfort. Mothers who are able to allow
the their infant to begin to develop some independence set the stage for the infants
beginning basic sense of self that is distinct from the mother.
Rapprochement: (16-24 months)
During these months, toddler, at one minute, may be clinging to their mothers and at
another running from their mothers. In these months, the toddler grasps the first sense
that it is distinct from its mother. This discovery is both exhilarating and frightening.
Consolidation and Object Constancy (24-36 months)

Children begin to be more comfortable separating from their mothers. They have an
understanding that mother still exists when she is not physically present (goes to work,
goes out for an evening). This ability, termed object constancy, allows children to accept,
without anxiety, that they are distinct from their mothers. It also allows the child to
engage a substitute for the mother when she is absent (baby-sitter, nanny, aunt, uncle).

Study Questions:
Think about each developmental phase - Infancy, Preschool Period, Middle Childhood, and Adolescence.
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the age span for the period of development?
2. What are the critical developmental tasks accomplished for each developmental period consider
the general ages and stages overview, theories of Erikson, Piaget, and Mahler - consider
developmental milestones and the lecture content?
3. Name one worrisome sign/red flag that development may not be proceding normally.

Additional Material:
Dixon, Suzanne D., and Stein, MartinT. Encounter with Children. St. Louis: Mosby, 2000. Print.
Breger, Louis. From Instinct to Identity The Development of Personality. New Brunswick: Transction
Publishers, 2009. Print.
Revenson, Tracey A., and Singer, Dorothy G. A Piaget Primer - How a Child Think. New York:
Penguin Group, 1996.