DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES IN THE FIRST YEAR

Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range. Your pediatrician uses milestones to help check how your child is developing. Although each milestone has an age level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can very quite a bit. Every child is unique!

By 3 months of age does your child:
Motor Skills
* lift head when held at your shoulder
* lift head and chest when lying on his stomach
* turn head from side to side when lying on his stomach
* follow a moving object or person with his eyes
* often hold hands open or loosely fisted
* grasp rattle when given to her
* wiggle and kick with arms and legs


Sensory and Thinking Skills
* turn head toward bright colors and lights
* turn toward the sound of a human voice
* recognize bottle or breast
* respond to your shaking a rattle or bell


Language and Social Skills
* make cooing, gurgling sounds
* smile when smiled at
* communicate hunger, fear, discomfort (through crying or facial expression)
* usually quiet down at the sound of a soothing voice or when held
* anticipate being lifted
* react to "peek-a-boo" games


By 6 months of age does your child:
Motor Skills
* hold head steady when sitting with your help
* reach for and grasp objects
* play with his toes
* help hold the bottle during feeding
* explore by mouthing and banging objects
* move toys from one hand to another
* shake a rattle
* pull up to a sitting position on her own if you grasp her hands
* sit with only a little support
* sit in a high chair
* roll over
* bounce when held in a standing position


Sensory and Thinking Skills
* open his mouth for the spoon
* imitate familiar actions you perform


Language and Social Skills
* babble, making almost sing-song sounds
* know familiar faces
* laugh and squeal with delight
* scream if annoyed
* smile at herself in a mirror


By 12 months of age does your child:
Motor Skills
* drink from a cup with help
* feed herself finger food like raisins or bread crumbs
* grasp small objects by using her thumb and index or forefinger
* use his first finger to poke or point
* put small blocks in and take them out of a container
* knock two blocks together
* sit well without support
* crawl on hands and knees
* pull himself to stand or take steps holding onto furniture
* stand alone momentarily
* walk with one hand held
* cooperate with dressing by offering a foot or an arm


Sensory and Thinking Skills
* copy sounds and actions you make
* respond to music with body motion
* try to accomplish simple goals (seeing and then crawling to a toy)
* look for an object she watched fall out of sight (such as a spoon that falls under the table)


Language and Social Skills
* babble, but it sometimes "sounds like" talking
* say his first word
* recognize family members' names
* try to "talk" with you
* respond to another's distress by showing distress or crying
* show affection to familiar adults
* show mild to severe anxiety at separation from parent
* show apprehension about strangers
* raise her arms when she wants to be picked up
* understand simple commands

100 Questions & Answers About Your Child's Asthma (100 Questions & Answers about)

100 Questions & Answers About Your Child’s Asthma Gives You Authoritative, Practical Answers To Your Questions About Childhood Asthma, Treatment Options, Post-Treatment Quality Of Life, Coping Strategies For Both Patient And Caregiver, Sources Of Support, And Much More. This Book Is An Invaluable Resource For Understanding And Coping With The Medical, Psychological, Emotional And Financial Considerations Of A Child With Asthma.

Health Risks and causes of Overweight children

A sufficient energy intake is important for children while they are growing, and a varied and nutritious diet is essential for their development. However,and like adults, if they take in more energy - in the form of food - than they use up, the extra energy is stored in their bodies as fat.

If your child is overweight or obese, it's more likely that he/she will develop some serious health problems more usually seen in adulthood, like hardened and blocked arteries (coronary artery diseases), high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Overweight children are twice as likely to be obese when they grow up than children who aren't overweight. This means that in adulthood, they will be at an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. The risk of health problems increases the more overweight you become.

As well as being a risk to the child's health, being overweight as a child may also cause emotional problems. Teasing about his/her appearance can affect a child's confidence and self-esteem, and can lead to isolation and depression.

An unhealthy diet combined with a lack of exercise are the main causes of childhood obesity. High-calorie foods such as chocolates, sweets and fast food are cheap and readily available to children. Alongside this, physical activity and exercise are no longer a part of most children's days - some children never walk or cycle to school or play sport. Instead, many of them spend hours in front of a television or computer.

Presence of a family history of being overweight or obese, your child may be more likely to be obese. Genetic factors may play a role in this, but the most important is shared eating and activity habits, or a combination of both,that are more likely to cause your child to be overweight.

It's unlikely that your child will be overweight because of an underlying medical problem.

What is a healthy weight for a child?
You may find it difficult to tell whether your child has temporary "puppy fat" or is genuinely overweight. Your GP will check height and weight charts (centile charts) when assessing your child to see if he/she is overweight for his/her age.

Facts about Atrial Septal Defect - Mayo Clinic

Harold Burkhart, M.D., a cardiovascular surgeon at Mayo Clinic, describes the congenital heart condition atrial septal defect (ASD) and discusses treatment options for children and adults.

Causes of Developmental Delay

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the most common types of developmental delays are due to mental retardation, brain trauma and/or social/emotional disorders. Maintaining child well-health checkups, understanding the types of developmental delays and being aware of early warning signs of developmental milestones can significantly reduce severe developmental delay.

Types
Disorders that contribute to developmental delay include genetic, neurobehavioral, social/emotional, neurological, metabolic and many types of language disorders. Chromosomal abnormalities, birth defects, brain trauma and mental retardation are also contributing factors.
Identification
Delayed or a lack of development in developmental milestones in language, self-help, social/emotional, fine and gross motor, or sensory and cognitive skills is an indicator.
Causes
Maternal risk factors, such as maternal age and unhealthy behaviors during pregnancy, genetics, certain diseases, prenatal/neonatal events and the environment can lead to developmental delay.
Expert Insight
Bilingual children may experience speech and language delays. If a child has been exposed to more than one language, extra encouragement should be used to increase receptive and expressive language skills. An evaluation by a speech and language pathologist can rule out any serious concerns.
Warning
A developmental delay may cause problems in other developmental areas, and may contribute to poor self-esteem as a child grows older.
Prevention/Solution
Genetic counselors offer perinatal testing to rule out possible hereditary and disease risk factors. Adopting healthy habits can eliminate maternal risk factors. Tracking early developmental milestones, seeking early testing and intervention can increase the chances of a successful outcome.

Koplik's spots

Koplik's spots: Little spots inside the mouth that are highly characteristic of the early phase of measles (rubeola). The spots look like a tiny grains of white sand, each surrounded by a red ring. They are found especially on the inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa) opposite the 1st and 2nd upper molars. Named for the New York pediatrician Henry Koplik (1858-1927) who described them.