The concept of development includes many physiological, psychological and social areas such as brain development, physical development, sexual development, moral development, psychosocial development, cognitive development, motor development and language development.
All are interconnected. A malfunction in one of them affects other areas of development and causes problems in the expected development at the next age level. If your child does not display the characteristics expected from his age group; It would be useful to get expert support for your concerns, keeping in mind that there are individual differences in development.
For this, it is first necessary to know healthy development. In this way, it becomes easier to detect problems quickly and take early precautions.
Developmental Characteristics
* In the first 6 months, babies between the ages of 0-1 can hold their heads upright, lift their heads while lying on their stomachs, turn over on their backs when lying on their sides, and use toys with their hands. He learns to comprehend, to distinguish human voices, especially his mother's voice, to make cooing sounds, and to smile socially. It spends approximately 16 hours of the day sleeping. While he wakes up every 3-4 hours at night, after 4 months he sleeps 6-8 hours at night and can stay awake for 3 hours continuously during the day.
Between 6 months and 1 year; He can turn to his side while lying on his back, sit without support, and hold his own bottle. Can move objects from one hand to the other. He says non-meaningful syllables, can make sound imitations, and can make word imitations towards the age of 1. He says his first words before the age of 1.
After approximately 6 months, the transition to supplementary food begins. This is a journey that requires adaptation for both the baby and the mother/caregiver.
Mental development is very rapid in the first year. The more attention, stimulation and play there is, the faster the mental development. For the first year, he puts everything in his mouth. This is a form of relaxation. The child, who is both fed and emotionally relieved by suckling the mother, tends to put everything in his mouth during the process of adapting to the world.
A sense of trust develops during this period. Both self-confidence and the ability to trust the environment develop.
* In early childhood, walking and climbing stairs are learned between the ages of 1-3, running and jumping around the age of 2, and going down stairs between the ages of 2-3. Spoon and fork for ages 1-2 You start using k. It can also match the same objects. Vocabulary gradually increases. 50-60 in the 1-2 age range; It is expected that the child will use around 300 words between the ages of 2.5-3. By the age of 2, it is expected that the child will be able to make 2-word sentences, and around the age of 3, he will be able to understand what is being said and communicate verbally. Perhaps the most tiring (!) thing for parents during this period is the constant asking of questions. Improving verbal communication also helps develop social skills. Peer-to-peer relationships begin to be observed. However, he tries to be more independent and decision-making, and stubbornness manifests itself. The process of indecision and stubbornness brings with it complications regarding toilet training.
He can separate large and small objects between the ages of 2-3, and he also learns the primary colors at the age of 3.
The disruptions observed in this period, especially in the field of language, are very important. Before saying that it will go away with time, you should definitely consult a specialist.
* 3-6 years old is now the age of play. All the skills needed to play games have developed. He/she is expected to be able to easily perform movements such as walking, running, jumping, holding, throwing, and playing ball games. Before the age of 4, he can eat his own food and act independently in matters such as brushing his teeth, washing his hands and dressing. Before he reaches the age of 6, he has a preference for using his right or left hand, and his skills such as painting, cutting and drawing should improve day by day. Between the ages of 3-6, they can easily use the language to communicate with adults and peers. His narrative skills improve and his interest in books increases. At the age of 6, there is a language use close to an adult. It is the interest in shameful and abusive words that will put a strain on families at this age.
Social skills improve intensively, there is a transition from bilateral relations to group friendship, the ability to understand and comply with the rules develops, and the concept of gender and the difference between men and women are distinguished. He begins to take his fellow man as a model. Begins to perceive concepts such as good-bad, right-wrong. It is at the beginning of moral development.
In this period, counting skills, the concept of similarity, and colors are learned. It is expected to learn the concepts of time during the day and concepts such as right and left.
Even if everything goes well between the ages of 0-6, evaluating the development once a year is a useful way to get to know the child. Any situation that is detected early can be easily resolved. For developmental evaluations, in addition to detailed history taking and observation; Screening tests such as Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (AGTE), Denver II Developmental Screening Test, Gessel Figures Visual Motor Perception Test, Draw a Person Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test are used, and all of these are tools that do not tire or strain the child, but help in recognition.
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