By Dr Abirami, Developmental Pediatrician
As a parent you may have heard or read the term “developmental milestones” from websites or from your paediatrician. So what does it mean if they say that your child has achieved his/her milestones age appropriately? It means that, in each of the following aspects, the child is performing as expected when compared to children their age in the community you live in, which include Motor skills, Cognitive skills, Social and emotional skills, Language skills, and Adaptive skills.
Here is a short summary on red flags — when the child must be brought in for an evaluation if the milestones mentioned are not achieved by a particular age. For further queries feel free to contact us anytime.
Red Flags
- Poor/weak sucking at the breast from birth
- Not smiling in response to parents’ face by 3 months
- No neck control by 4 months
- Not sitting with support by 8 months
- No babbling or cooing or pointing or waving bye bye by 12 months
- No single words like amma or appa by 16 months
- Not walking without support by 18 months
- No 2 worded sentences by 2 years
Loss of already achieved skills at any age is also a red flag and requires immediate evaluation.
