FIT Child Development Audio Conference Journal Date: March 10, 2010 Topic: months Participants: 6 New information:

Transcription

1 FIT Child Development Audio Conference Journal Date: March 10, 2010 Topic: months Participants: 6 New information: ~ In the area of gross motor/movement development, babies are, with support, walking up stairs alternating feet; swinging their legs to kick balls and running easily ~ In terms of fine motor hand/finger skills, they can turn book pages one at a time; screw and unscrew jar lids and turn rotating handles. ~ In reference to language development, they are speaking in short sentences and using pronouns. ~ In the area of cognitive development, babies are matching real objects to pictures in a book and can complete simple puzzles with 3-4 pieces. ~ In the area of social development, they are expressing and wider range of emotions and object to major changes in routines. At this point, families may be experiencing stress around their child's new intensity around expression of emotions. Children are showing more reactions, objections to major changes in routines and may still have some discomfort about separating from their caregiver. They are expressing I don t want to do this I m sad or mad; I do want to do this but can t I m frustrated; I can do it on my own leave me alone; I need your help ; Go away ; Stay ; Why is my schedule different than before. Tantrums are occurring with more frequency as an expression of emotion. This can be a lot for families to manage and make sense of. Discussion: What are you seeing families dealing with at this point? ~ That the new level of expression of sadness is hard for parents. It can feel overwhelming and hard to know how to help. ~ Exactly when this one child turned 2, he all of the sudden showed up in a mood angry and upset which he never presented before. How do you support families during this stage? ~ By letting them know that this is age appropriate and then talking together about how to best deal with it. 1

2 Any examples of something you re dealing with at this stage? ~ During a visit with a 2 year old with limited language and her mother, who is drug involved, the mom appeared detached. The baby went over to the small fridge and started banging her head on it. Mom did not respond. The DS commented that that must have hurt and the baby responded by stopping. The older sibling (teenager with a 6 mos. old) wondered out loud if she might want something to drink. Although there are several points we could comment on in this scenario, in terms of child development, this was a nice example of a 2 year old expressing a need in a tantrumlike manner and how the adults needed to figure out what that expression was about first acknowledging the feeling and then wondering what she might want/need. Wrap up: Next month we will focus on the age range from months. After next month, we will have covered birth to 36 months of age. What area of child development would you like to focus on for May and June? Suggestions were: The quality of skills how a child is approaching developmental tasks. Developmentally appropriate activities for each stage of development. A survey will go out to get a better sense of what others might want those last two months. Next Child Development call will be on April 14th at 8:30am: we will talk about the next few months of development, months as well as any other child development questions you might have. Phone number: Code: Just a reminder: ~ We are also on Facebook so take a look for us and become a fan - UNM- CDD Early Childhood Learning Network. Resources and information will also be available there. 2

3 Resources month development: pagename=ter_par_agebasedhandouts Temperament and Behavior: The Review: ~ Attachment and the process of reading and responding to a newborn s cues and the dance that occurs as a result. This is the secure base from which healthy development can occur. Brain development is experience dependent and is stimulated by this relationship and all of the interactions that occur. Communication, at this point, occurs through crying, smiling, gazing as well as frowning and looking away. These are all cues that let us know what the baby needs. ~ A few months later, 3-4 months, the beginning of the reciprocal process occurs as the baby develops a social smile and the caregiver begins to get something new back in the ongoing dance. Relationships may start to look different at this point. ~ Between 4 and 8 months, a baby may be reaching and grasping, beginning to roll over, may move toys from hand to hand (across the mid-line which are signs of healthy neurological development) and is exploring their world more and often laughing and squealing with delight. ~ As we move further into development, 8-12 months, babies are becoming more social and interested in interacting with people and mirror caregivers emotions and movements. They have an increased attention span, can combine two objects in play and can persist in achieving a desired effect (i.e. throwing toys repeatedly). They may push up to hands and knees, pull to stand, cruise and possibly walk with assistance as well as hold their own bottle and finger feed themselves. They are using gestures or sounds to comment, request, protest or get their needs met, bringing their communication skills to a new level. Growth across all domains is sky rocketing! 3

4 ~ As babies develop from months, we see more movement towards individuation as they begin to be able to play out of sight of their caregiver for 5-10 minutes and are able to play near another child (they may take away toys vs engaging in reciprocal play) for a short period of time. Babies cognitive areas of development are growing as well as their receptive/expressive language as they participate in songs and singing games, imitate sounds and words ( what does a cow say? Moooo ), imitate the inflection (pitch) of others and point to body parts. They may be able to take a few steps on their own, throw a ball, crawl backwards down stairs and dance, shifting weight on their feet. Between months: ~ in the area of movement/motor development, babies are climbing onto and down from furniture unsupported and walking up and down stairs holding onto support. ~ in terms of hand/finger skills (fine motor), they have been scribbling (holding a marker with a fist) for a few months and are now able to build a tower of 4 blocks or more. ~ in reference to language development, they can point to an object or picture when it s named for them, they can recognize names of familiar people, objects and body part and can use 2 word sentences. ~ in the area of cognitive development, babies begin to sort shapes and color (categorizing) and begin to play make-believe. ~ in the area of social development, they continue to be interested in others, imitating the behaviors of others and developing more independence. ~ Another piece to take into consideration when thinking about child development is temperament. We all have ways in which we engage with the world which may impact how we approach tasks of development. These are neither right nor wrong, just pieces of the puzzle that is helpful to keep in mind when looking at the children and families with whom we work. ~ Understanding what has gone on in the life of the child before this moment can give us tremendous insight. This is the benefit of reviewing all stages of development. Be curious about their entire development, in all domains, not just this snapshot in time. 4

5 5