Best ways to keep track of your child’s development – Part 2

In this 2nd part on Child Development (see part 1), we will discover the PREDICTABLE pattern of your child's growth and acquisition of skills. Here are some tips on how to keep track of your child's development milestones:

Tip # 1 - Know what PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT  your child falls under

The Postnatal Period is categorized into:

• Infancy (Birth to 1 yr of age)
• Toddler (1 to 3 yrs of age)
• Childhood
  • Early Childhood: 3 to 5 years of age
  • Middle Childhood: 6 to 8 years of age
  • Late Childhood: 9 to 10 years of age
• Adolescence
  • Early Adolescence: 10 to 13 years of age
  • Middle Adolescence 14 to 16 years of age
  • Late Adolescence 17 to 19 years of age

Tip # 2 - Know the different DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT and the RED FLAGS

There are only (4) Domains to track: Motor, Language, Social and Cognitive. In the Preventive Pediatric Health Care Handbook by The Philippine Pediatric Society, one of the five components during a well child visit is: to maintain a developmental history. It states the following RED FLAGS in each domain of development:

During your child's well visit, convey to your pediatrician ANY concern about your child's development because screening with accurate tools is the only way to identify problems.

Tip # 3 - Know the FACTORS that affect development

Here are some ENVIRONMENTAL influences we can ponder on:

• Human relations
• Nutrition
• Available learning experiences
• Socio-economic resources

NEGLECT is defined as acts of omission while ABUSE is defined as acts of commission. As parents, we should ask ourselves if we are giving our kids adequate supervision, health care, emotional support, education  and protection from hazards in the environment, We should be aware of situations that bring potential harm to our child  and enable a preventive intervention. These abuses and neglect have a short and long term consequence for both the physical and mental health of our child.

God says in Psalm 127:3, "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him". Let us be good stewards of God's precious gift to us.

Read: Best ways to keep track of your child’s development – Part 1

– Katrina Rey MD