Kids & Parenting

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Recognizing A Child’s Developmental Progress
© 2012

by

Stephen A. Peterson


How do I know that my child is growing up like her/his peers? How can I know if he/she is doing okay?

These questions are some of the most common questions parents/caregivers have when concerned about their child’s development. As every parent/caregiver knows or comes to realize, there are no absolute explanation regarding childhood development.

Child Development Specialists and child oriented behaviorists most often use behavioral keys to track child growth and development. As an example, a child who had been interested in toy play then uses their play time playing with neighbor children is a pretty good indicator that a child has moved into the stage of play typical of an older child. Similarly, when a child loses interest in activities with their parents/caregivers preferring to spend more time with peers, is a sign that this young person has reached the next stage of social development.

As indicated, one of the best indicators as to whether your child is moving from one stage to the next is to observe her/his behavior. Utilizing chronological age, physical growth or what the next door neighbor child is doing often proves frustrating and more often than not an accurate measure.

It is generally not a safe assumption that a child MUST proceed from stage one to stage two then stage three. Developmentalists, who often track childhood development, commonly find children who skip a stage or stages. What is found is childhood growth and development is uneven. Among many children, in areas of their development, they are way ahead in some phases but way behind in others. This should never cause alarm among parents/caregivers. In the vast majority of cases, the child catches up exceeding ALL their parents’/caregivers’ expectations and more!

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