1

Learning Outcome

The learning outcome of this chapter is for you to explain and recognize stages and milestones in physical, social, emotional, sensory, linguistic, and cognitive development for infants from birth to 15 months old. The objective meets the NAEYC Standard 1a [Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs, from birth through age 8] for educator preparation and the MA Core Competency 1.A.1 and 1.G.15 at the initial level. You will experience how an infant develops at an individual rate and has a personal approach to learning.

The first two chapters of the book focus on the development of infants and toddlers. Skills such as taking the first step, smiling, and waving “good-bye” are developmental milestones which are behaviors most children can do by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like crawling, walking, or jumping) and development proceeds in a predictable sequence.  For example,  infants crawl before they walk, babble before they talk, and so on. Remember that each child achieves the developmental milestones at an individual rate.

Why is it important to recognize developmental milestones?

Key Takeaway

Awareness of the developmental milestones in infancy is important for several reasons.  First, an understanding of child development is critical to developmentally appropriate practice as defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2009).  The three core considerations of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) are:

  1. Age-appropriateness which means recognizing what is typical at each age and stage of development. Milestones are determined by research.
  2. Individual-appropriateness as each child’s rate of development is different.
  3. Social and cultural appropriateness so that the curriculum is meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each child and family.

Second, as an educator, you identify goals for learning and development that are achievable and challenging.  Achievable goals are age-appropriate as defined by developmental milestones.  By recognizing milestones you support individualized and intentional curriculum planning to meet each child’s developmental needs.

Third,  recognizing developmental milestones allows you to know when referrals should be made to Early Intervention or to other professionals.  As an educator you will likely use screening tools to get a quick look at major developmental milestones across domains, to determine if the child’s development appears to be progressing typically. If a screening shows that a child has not achieved the milestones or indicators typical for her age, these results indicate that further assessment is needed. The primary purpose of screening is to identify any potential concerns.

DAP in an Infant Room

 

  • At mealtime, Jill notices that 11-month-old Ryan grabs for a spoon during feedings.  According to developmental milestones, Ryan isn’t old enough to feed himself, however, he is determined to try.  As the chart shows below this is a sill typical of 12-14-month-old children.  She allows him to hold and try using the spoon even though it is doubtful he will achieve the goal of self-feeding.  To challenge him, later in the day, Jill gets Ryan a spoon and a bowl to play with to practice the skill. Jill selects materials with Ryan’s specific interests and developmental progress in mind.
Age Milestone
6 to 9 months Wants to help with feeding
Starts holding and mouthing large crackers/cookies
Plays with spoon; grabs/bangs spoon; puts both ends in mouth
9 to 13 months Finger feeds soft foods and foods that melt quickly Enjoys finger feeding
12 to 14 months Dips spoon in food
Moves spoon to mouth but is messy and spills
15 to 18 months Scoops food with a spoon and feeds self
18 to 24 months Wants to feed himself/herself
2 to 3 years Stabs food with fork
Uses spoon without spilling
3 to 5 years Eats by himself/herself

 

Chart from Mielke (2008) Guidelines for the Development of Self-Feeding Skills. Super Duper Publications available at:   https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/156%20Self-Feeding.pdf

How can I learn more about developmental milestones?

As you read the Massachusetts Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers you will notice that the learning guidelines are presented in table format. For each Guideline the indicators are divided into two sections: a) young infant and b) older infant. The indicators describe expected observable behaviors or skills of children which are developmental milestones.

Also review the MedlinePlus website designed for families by the National Institutes of Health. There are many useful and helpful links to explore and discover.  You will find the infant milestones at https://medlineplus.gov/infantandnewborndevelopment.html  

Participate in a FREE online training

As an early care and education provider, you play a critical role in the health and wellbeing of children. You are also very well positioned to help identify children who might need extra help in their development.  I challenge you to view Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concerns, to explore tools and best practices for monitoring the development of children in your care and talking about it with their families. The 1-hour, the 4-module course focuses on:

  • Why monitoring children’s development is important
  • Why you have a unique and important role in developmental monitoring
  • How to easily monitor each child’s developmental milestones
  • How to talk with parents about their child’s development

Learning objectives for the training include:

  • List three developmental concerns that early care and education providers should monitor.
  • Identify at least three developmental milestones for the class’s age group.
  • Describe how to use “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” resources in early care and education work with children and parents.
  • Describe two communication strategies to use when talking with families about their child’s development.

 

What are the developmental considerations for infant care?

The earliest years are all about relationships. Infants seek out and develop attachments to the special people in their lives. Depending on how families, early educators, and others treat them, babies develop expectations about people and themselves. Some of the tasks for social and emotional development during infancy include:

  • Young infants (0 to 9 months) seek security.
  • Mobile infants (8 to 15 months) are eager to explore.

To develop relationships with infants while promoting social and emotional development; educators should consider factors that will assist caregivers in determining what kind and how much support to provide so that the infant feels secure and explores.  The factors are:

  1. Infant temperament
  2. States
  3. Reflexes and cues
  4. Feeding

Infant Temperament

There are many theories of child temperament, most of these theories agree that temperament refers to stable, early appearing individual differences in behavioral tendencies that have an inborn or biological basis that continue throughout life[1].

Classic child development research (1977)  by Doctors Chess and Thomas identified 9 temperamental traits[2]:

  • Activity Level: This is the child’s “idle speed or how active the child is generally. Does the infant always wiggle, more squirm? Is the infant difficult to diaper because of this? Is the infant content to sit and quietly watch? Does the child have difficulty sitting still? Is the child always on the go? Or, does the child prefer sedentary quiet activities? Highly active children may channel such extra energy into success in sports; they may perform well in high-energy careers and may be able to keep up with many different responsibilities.
  • Distractibility: The degree of concentration and paying attention displayed when a child is not particularly interested in an activity. This trait refers to the ease with which external stimuli interfere with ongoing behavior. Is the infant easily distracted by sounds or sights while drinking a bottle? Is the infant easily soothed when upset by being offered alternate activity? Does the child become sidetracked easily when attempting to follow a routine or working on some activity? High distractibility is seen as positive when it is easy to divert a child from an undesirable behavior but seen as negative when it prevents the child from finishing schoolwork.
  • Intensity: The energy level of a response whether positive or negative. Does the infant react strongly and loudly to everything, even relatively minor events? Does the child show pleasure or upset strongly and dramatically? Or does the child just get quiet when upset? Intense children are more likely to have their needs met and may have depth and delight of emotion rarely experienced by others. These children may be gifted in dramatic arts. Intense children tend to be exhausting to live with.
  • Regularity: The trait refers to the predictability of biological functions like appetite and sleep. Does the child get hungry or tired at predictable times? Or, is the child unpredictable in terms of hunger and tiredness? As grown-ups, irregular individuals may do better than others with traveling as well as be likely to adapt to careers with unusual working hours.
  • Sensory Threshold: Related to how sensitive this child is to physical stimuli. It is the amount of stimulation (sounds, tastes, touch, temperature changes) needed to produce a response in the child. Does the child react positively or negatively to particular sounds? Does the child startle easily to sounds? Is the child a picky eater or will he eat almost anything? Does the child respond positively or negatively to the feel of clothing? Highly sensitive individuals are more likely to be artistic and creative.
  • Approach/Withdrawal: Refers to the child’s characteristic response to a new situation or strangers. Does the child eagerly approach new situations or people? Or does the child seem hesitant and resistant when faced with new situations, people or things? Slow-to-warm up children tend to think before they act. They are less likely to act impulsively during adolescence.
  • Adaptability: Related to how easily the child adapts to transitions and changes, like switching to a new activity. Does the child have difficulty with changes in routines, or with transitions from one activity to another? Does the child take a long time to become comfortable to new situations? A slow-to-adapt child is less likely to rush into dangerous situations, and may be less influenced by peer pressure.
  • Persistence: This is the length of time a child continues in activities in the face of obstacles. Does the child continue to work on a puzzle when he has difficulty with it or does he just move on to another activity? Is the child able to wait to have his needs met? Does the child react strongly when interrupted in an activity? When a child persists in an activity he is asked to stop, he is labeled as stubborn. When a child stays with a tough puzzle he is seen a being patient. The highly persistent child is more likely to succeed in reaching goals. A child with low persistence may develop strong social skills because he realizes other people can help.
  • Mood: This is the tendency to react to the world primarily in a positive or negative way. Does the child see the glass as half full? Does he focus on the positive aspects of life? Is the child generally in a happy mood? Or, does the child see the gall as half empty and tend to focus on the negative aspects of life? Is the child generally serious? Serious children tend to be analytical and evaluate situations carefully.

• Easy infant: Mild-mannered. Demonstrates regular sleeping and eating patterns, positive response to new situations (approachable), high adaptability to change, and positive mood.

• Difficult infant: Intense. Demonstrates irregular sleeping and eating patterns, negative response to new situations (withdrawal), difficulty adapting to change, irritability, and negative mood.

• Slow-to-warm-up infant: Mild-mannered. Demonstrates slow adaptability after several attempts and negative mood.

Key Takeaway

The most important aspect of examining temperament as a critical factor in the care of infants is the concept of “Goodness of Fit”.  The goodness of fit, as used in psychology and parenting, describes the compatibility of a person’s temperament with the features of their particular social environment. A behavior one caregiver might interpret as positive may be perceived negatively by another. For example, Taylor might perceive an infant who resists cuddling as “strong and feisty,” while Jamie interprets this infant as difficult and that the baby is rejecting them.

All environments have differing characteristics and demands. The goodness of fit is an important component in the emotional adjustment of an individual. Children with difficult temperaments, or temperaments that are at variance with their caregivers, and grow up with caregivers who are rejecting or inconsistent, have more difficulty with adjustment and development than children with supportive and consistent caregivers. For children with emotional challenges “goodness of fit” is an important component in how well they will adjust and adapt to different situations in the future. Assessing your perceptions and beliefs is important when responding to cross-cultural differences regarding infant temperament and behavior.

To learn more about temperament read 2010 What Works Brief developed by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning titled:  Understanding Temperament in Infants and Toddlers
by Allard and Hunter. How will you apply what you read about temperament to promote positive social and emotional development and behavior?

States

A critical task of infant caregivers is to learn to correctly interpret the infant’s behaviors and understand their newborn’s style. There are 6 states of consciousness summarized in the table below and visualized on this FitWIC Baby handout.  The states eventually evolve into a child’s pattern of crying, sleeping, eating, and playing as the nervous system develops.

State

Description

Infant Behavior

State 1

Deep Sleep

Lies quietly without moving

State 2

Light Sleep

Moves while sleeping; startles at noises

State 3

Drowsiness

Eyes start to close; may doze

State 4

Quiet Alert

Eyes open wide, the face is bright; the body is quiet

State 5

Active Alert

Face and body move actively

State 6

Crying

Cries, perhaps screams; body moves in a very disorganized way

Sleep

As a caregiver, it is essential you understand safe sleep practices.  All educators, families, volunteers and others who care for infants in the childcare setting should follow these required safe sleep practices as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in conjunction with The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development:
  1. Infants up to 12 months should be placed for sleep wholly on their back for every nap or sleep time unless the infant’s primary care provider has completed a signed waiver indicating that the child requires an alternate sleep position.
  2. Infants should be placed for sleep in safe sleep environments; which includes: a firm crib mattress covered by a tight-fitting sheet in a safety-approved crib (the crib should meet the standards and guidelines reviewed/approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission [CPSC] and ASTM International [ASTM]), no monitors or positioning devices should be used unless required by the child’s primary care provider, and no other items should be in a crib occupied by an infant except for a pacifier.
  3. Infants should not nap or sleep in a car safety seat, bean bag chair, bouncy seat, infant seat, swing, jumping chair, play pen or play yard, highchair, chair, futon, or any other type of furniture/equipment that is not a safety-approved crib (that is in compliance with the CPSC and ASTM safety standards).
  4. If an infant arrives at the facility asleep in a car safety seat, the family member or educator should immediately remove the sleeping infant from this seat and place them in the supine position in a safe sleep environment (i.e., the infant’s assigned crib).
  5. If an infant falls asleep in any place that is not a safe sleep environment, educators should immediately move the infant and place them on their back in their crib.
  6. Only one infant should be placed in each crib (stackable cribs are not recommended).
  7. Soft or loose bedding should be kept away from sleeping infants and out of safe sleep environments. These include, but are not limited to: bumper pads, pillows, quilts, comforters, sleep positioning devices, sheepskins, blankets, flat sheets, cloth diapers, bibs, etc. Also, blankets/items should not be hung on the sides of cribs. Swaddling infants when they are in a crib is not necessary or recommended, but rather one-piece sleepers should be used (see Standard 3.1.4.2 from Caring for Children for more detail information on swaddling).
  8. Toys, including mobiles and other types of play equipment that are designed to be attached to any part of the crib should be kept away from sleeping infants and out of safe sleep environments.
  9. When caregivers/teachers place infants in their crib for sleep, they should check to ensure that the temperature in the room is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult, check the infants to ensure that they are comfortably clothed (not overheated or sweaty), and that bibs, necklaces, and garments with ties or hoods are removed (clothing sacks or other clothing designed for sleep can be used in lieu of blankets).
  10. Infants should be directly observed by sight and sound at all times, including when they are going to sleep, are sleeping, or are in the process of waking up.
  11. Bedding should be changed between children, and if mats are used, they should be cleaned between uses. The lighting in the room must allow the educator to see each infant’s face, to view the color of the infant’s skin, and to check on the infant’s breathing and placement of the pacifier (if used).

An educator trained in safe sleep practices and approved to care for infants should be present in each room at all times where there is an infant. This educator should remain alert and should actively supervise sleeping infants in an ongoing manner and should check to ensure that the infant’s head remains uncovered and re-adjust clothing as needed.

The construction and use of sleeping rooms for infants separate from the infant group room is not recommended due to the need for direct supervision. In situations where there are existing facilities with separate sleeping rooms, facilities should develop a plan to modify room assignments and/or practices to eliminate placing infants to sleep in separate rooms.

The following resources have information about a safe sleep environment, sleep position, and SIDS prevention.

In your experience, how do you see safe sleep practices implemented in childcare settings?  What could be improved and why?

Reflexes and cues 

When caregivers understand the various states of infant alertness; they are better able to interpret infants’ behaviors. There are many individual differences, and infants respond according to the state in which they are at any given moment. An understanding of and sensitivity to state and to an infant’s unique characteristics and capabilities form the beginning of mutual trust.

Understanding their infant’s behavior and cues encourage attachment as caregivers and newborns learn that they can rely on each other to respond appropriately and consistently.

A resource available to help families understand infant behavior is the March of Dimes (2003) 4-page handout Things That Make Me ME! How useful do you think the handout would be for families in your community or at your program?  Does it have benefit for educators?  Why or why not? 

Comprehension Check

Take this quiz to see which concepts about infant behavior you comprehended. Select the best answer to each of the questions below.

  • Which characteristic is associated with an infant whose temperament is classified as a slow-to-warm-up infant?
    • Behavioral irritability
    • Decreased sensory threshold
    • Delayed adaptation to change
    • Prolonged sleeping patterns
  • What is the ultimate reason for understanding the significance of infant states?
    • Care can be individualized
    • States can be predicted
    • Stimuli can be adjusted
    • Temperament can be modulated
  • Which state of consciousness is identified when assessment determines that the infant’s eyes are open, with a dull, glazed appearance?
    • Active alert
    • Active sleep
    • Drowsy
    • Crying
  • Which state of consciousness is identified when assessment determines that the infant makes brief crying sounds, has some rapid eye movements, and exhibits irregular respirations?
    • Active sleep
    • Active alert
    • Drowsy
    • Crying
  • Which assessment would indicate that an infant is in the drowsy state?
    • Body activity is nearly still.
    • Breathing is smooth and regular.
    • Eyes are open, with a dull, glazed appearance.
    • The level of alertness increases with stimuli.
  • Most caregivers associate cuddliness behaviors with:
    • Affection
    • Alertness
    • Fatigue
    • Resignation
  •  What newborn reflex can facilitate dressing?
    • Babkin
    • Grasp
    • Placing
    • Stepping
  • Predictability is defined as:
    • The ability of caregivers to console their infants when they are in the crying state
    • The capacity of infants to adapt to their surroundings in a healthy, expected way
    • Clarity of behavioral clues through which infants make known their needs at a given time
    • The extent to which caregivers can reliably anticipate their infants’ behaviors from immediately preceding behaviors
  • The intervention by a caregiver would be least supportive to console a fussing infant would be:
    • Holding the infant’s arms close to the body
    • Picking up the infant
    • Talking softly to the infant
    • Unwrapping the infant
  • Which is NOT a reason for understanding developmental milestones is to:
    • Support individualized and intentional curriculum planning
    • Know when referrals should be made to Early Intervention or to other professionals
    • Diagnose autism spectrum disorder
    • Ensure developmentally appropriate practices in your childcare care setting
  • According to the AAP the safest place for a baby to sleep is in:
    • A bouncy seat
    • A safety-approved crib
    • An infant car seat
    • A playpen
  • To prevent SIDS always place the infant up to 12 months in the crib:
    • next to a baby monitor
    • on her stomach near a door
    • on her back
    • swaddled in a blanket
  • It is extremely important to make sure the infant’s crib is free of any suffocation risk.  It is safe to use which item in an infant crib:
    • bumper pads
    • sleep positioning devices
    • blankets hung on the sides of the crib
    • a tight-fitting sheet on a firm mattress
  • The goodness of fit is important because
    • It is a component in the emotional adjustment of an individual
    • A factor for culturally appropriate care
    • Helps to understand individual differences
    • All of the above

The answers are in the Appendices

 

Read and Participate

  1. Read Massachusetts Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers Section I: Introduction and Section II: Infant Guidelines (birth – 15 months) pages 1-84.
  2. Complete the reading reflection using information from this chapter, the Early Learning Guidelines.  Use your responses from the reading reflection to participate in the Blackboard or face-to-face class discussion.

Reading Reflection Form

CRITERIA NOTES EXAMPLES FROM WEEKLY CONTENT
Connections

Relate ideas from the reading to learning in other courses or life experience.
Implementation

What strategies or methods have you used in the past, or will use in the future to support what you have learned from the weekly content?
Curiosities

What are you still curious about?  What do you want to explore further?   Why?
Additional Online Resource(s) to Share

 

 

 

 

Assignment

I designed this assignment to increase your competency in family engagement and to be familiar with a widely used screening tool in Massachusetts.   Family engagement is essential for effective screening and assessment of infants and toddlers. Information from multiple sources and settings is critical to capturing an accurate description of the child’s development. The families’ perspective is helpful in gathering information about the child’s activities and capacities in the home. Families see their child in the child’s ultimate “comfort zone,” and have the advantage of observing developmental indicators that may not emerge in the less familiar childcare setting. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire is a screening tool designed to be completed by families.

For an overview of appropriate screening practices, read the document produced in 2009 by the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative @ ZERO TO THREE.  The document is titled:  Supporting Infant and Toddler Development; Screening, and Assessment.  To get an overview of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, watch a 9-minute You Tube Video by Eagle Media produced in 2015.  The video is titled You & Your Young Child: Ages and Stages Questionnaire 

To complete the assignment:

Infant ASQ Requirements

  1. Locate an infant from birth to 15 months to assess.
  2. Complete the appropriate age group for ASQ 3 and ASQ 2SE available on Blackboard. Use the correct questionnaire and scoring sheets for an infant at 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, OR 14 months.
  3. After completing the questionnaire, write a paper where you will answer the following questions:
    1. Describe a typical child of the age you observed and how the child you assessed is typical, developing above age level, or if there are concerns about development. Use a format similar to the Brain Map activity.
    2. What are the factors that affect this infant’s development?
    3. What is the child’s learning and interaction style?
    4. What learning experiences might support this child’s unique strengths and characteristics?
    5. Insert photos of the ASQ forms.

How to insert a photo of the ASQ forms into your document

To insert a photo of your assessment forms into the ASQ Word or Pages document.  Click where you want to insert the picture in your document. Insert a picture that is stored on your computer.

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Picture.
  2. Locate the picture that you want to insert. For example, you might have a picture file located in Documents.
  3. Double-click the picture that you want to insert.

To resize a picture, select the picture you’ve inserted in the document. To increase or decrease the size in one or more directions, drag a sizing handle away from or toward the center.

Now upload one document to Blackboard for grading. Additionally, watch the video I created found in the ASQ assignment folder

References

Barnard, K.E. (1999). Beginning Rhythms: The Emerging Process of Sleep-Wake Behaviors and Self-Regulation. Seattle: NCAST Publications.

March of Dimes. (2003). Understanding the Behavior of Term Infants: Infant Behavior, Reflexes and Cues.  Available at: http://www.marchofdimes.com/nursing/modnemedia/othermedia/infantBehavior.pdf

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1188235/#R1 ↵
  2. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/How-to-Understand-Your-Childs-Temperament.aspx ↵

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Infant and Toddler Education and Care Copyright © 2017 by Dr. Susan Eliason is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book