When I’m with Hannah, and there aren’t other kids around (which is often), I forget or cast aside the fact that she has global developmental delays. She’s just Hannah.
But then I see her around other children, like at her birthday party, and I can see how delayed she really is and in so many different areas…physically, adaptive behavior, communication, cognition, etc. It gets hard to see sometimes.
I came across this checklist from the CDC called “Important Milestones by the end of the first year (12 months).” I put the ones that are a definite “yes” in gray, but the ones that are a “no” or “not yet” I left in black. There is too much black, which breaks my heart when you see it all at once.
Social and Emotional
- Shy or anxious with strangers – yes
- Cries when mother or father leaves – yes
- Enjoys imitating people in his play – no
- Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys – yes
- Tests parental responses to his actions during feedings – no
- Tests parental responses to his behavior – no
- May be fearful in some situations – yes
- Prefers mother and/or regular caregiver over all others – yes
- Repeats sounds or gestures for attention – not really
- Finger-feeds himself – probably could, but with her sensory issues she doesn’t actually eat it
- Extends arm or leg to help when being dressed – yes
Cognitive
- Explores objects in many different ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping) – shaking and banging
- Finds hidden objects easily – no
- Looks at correct picture when the image is named – no
- Imitates gestures – no
- Begins to use objects correctly (drinking from cup, brushing hair, dialing phone, listening to receiver) – no
- Language
- Pays increasing attention to speech – no
- Responds to simple verbal requests – no, except for “uppies” (meaning to be lifted up)
- Responds to “no” – no
- Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no” – no
- Babbles with inflection (changes in tone) – no, but she does babble a lot!
- Says “dada” and “mama” – no
- Uses exclamations, such as “Oh-oh!” – no
- Tries to imitate words – no
Movement
- Reaches sitting position without assistance – no
- Crawls forward on belly – just now working on the commando crawl
- Assumes hands-and-knees position – starting to get there, difficult with her hypotonia and loose knee ligaments
- Creeps on hands and knees – working on it
- Gets from sitting to crawling or prone (lying on stomach) position – yes, but not gracefully (kinda falls down)
- Pulls self up to stand – only when seated in a certain position
- Walks holding on to furniture – no
- Stands momentarily without support – no
- May walk two or three steps without support – no
Hand and Finger Skills
- Uses pincer grasp – just starting
- Bangs two objects together – yes
- Puts objects into container – no
- Takes objects out of container – yes
- Lets objects go voluntarily – yes
- Pokes with index finger – yes
- Tries to imitate scribbling – no
Developmental Health Watch (Hannah’s listed below): - Does not crawl
- Does not search for objects that are hidden while he or she watches
- Says no single words (“mama” or “dada”)
- Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
- Does not point to objects or pictures
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