According to the Department of Health’s child development survey in 2014, it was found that 27.5 percent or about 1 million children aged from birth to 5 years old have delayed development nationwide. The causes of delayed development in children stem from various factors, such as parenting, nutritional deficiencies, or lack of developmental stimulation, which are particularly important in the first 5 years, as it is the period when children undergo full brain development.
Having age-appropriate development indicates that a child is growing and developing fully. A child’s development proceeds in stages, and parents can initially check whether their children can do the following things at each stage:
At 2 months old
- Smile
- Make cooing sounds
- Eye contact
- Put hands in mouth
- Emit different crying sounds to communicate needs such as hunger or tiredness, etc.
- Move both arms and legs equally
- Lift head when picked up
- Raise head when lying on stomach
At 4 months old
- Smile socially
- Hold head up when sitting on lap
- Start to roll over and reach for objects
- Shows desire to play
- Can calm themselves
- Enjoy curling up
- Express likes and dislikes
- Use arms to lift chest when lying on stomach
- Make varied babbling sounds
At 6 months old
- Roll over
- Sit momentarily without support, leaning forward
- Enjoy playing with caregivers
- Chain consonants together in speech attempts and trying to converse with you
- Enjoy looking around
- Begin to recognize names
- Smile at familiar people
- Put objects into mouth
At 9 months old
- Follow objects that fall
- Pull to stand up
- Fear strangers
- Approach you for play and to feel secure
- Sit steadily
- Imitate sounds made by caregivers
- Look at pictures in books
- Crawl
- Play peek-a-boo
- Point at interesting objects
At 12 months old
- Clap toys together
- Wave bye-bye
- Attempt to mimic caregiver’s actions
- Stand alone
- Drink from a cup
- Speak 1 – 2 words
- Imitate caregivers’ speech
- Attempt to replicate sounds you make
- Look at things you are looking at
- Cry when you are out of sight
- Hand you a book to read
- Follow simple commands
- Play peek-a-boo
At 18 months old
- Know the name of favorite books
- Laugh in response to others
- Run
- Climb stairs
- Speak at least 6 words
- Use a spoon and cup with almost no spills
- Point to one body part
- Enjoy helping with tasks around the house
At 2 years old
- Stack small blocks, 5 – 6 blocks
- Kick a ball
- Climb up and down stairs one step at a time while holding onto a wall or railing
- Point to at least 2 pictures when named during book reading
- Throw a ball overhand
- Name one picture, such as a cat, dog, or ball, etc.
- Jump in place
- Imitate what you do
- Follow 2-step commands
- Speak two words together, such as “eat rice”
- Turn book pages one at a time
- Engage in pretend play
- Play alongside other children
At 3 years old
- Stack six small blocks
- Throw a ball overhand
- Balance on one foot
- Draw a circle
- Name a friend
- Engage in role-play
- Speak 2 – 3 sentences at once
- Know and state the use of common items like a cup, spoon, ball, and crayon
- Be mostly understandable to others when speaking
- Ascend stairs alternating feet
- Be potty trained during the day
- Draw a person with 2 parts
- Take care of self, e.g., eating, dressing, etc.
- Identify own gender
At 4 years old
- Build a tower using 8 small blocks
- Draw a watch
- Balance on one foot
- Name 4 colors
- One-legged hop
- Draw a person with 3 parts
- Dress self and button clothes
- Engage in pretend play alone and with others
- Know own name, age, and gender
- Take turns in games
- Communicate in a way that others understand
- Brush teeth independently
At 5 years old
- Understand and follow simple instructions
- Tell a coherent story
- Count 1 – 10
- Name at least 4 colors
- Draw a person with 6 parts
- Draw squares and triangles
- Write some letters or numbers
- Balance on one foot
- Hop on one foot, skip
- Tie knots
At 6 years old
- Understand and follow simple instructions
- Name at least 4 colors
- Balance on one foot
- Draw a person with 6 parts
- Count 1 – 10
- Draw squares and triangles
- Tell a coherent story
- Write some letters or numbers
- Hop, skip, climb
- Tie knots
How to deal with children at risk of delayed development
If parents notice their child may be at risk of delayed development after checking their developmental stages, or have tried stimulating development without success, they should consult a doctor for a detailed assessment of developmental levels. Doctors have tools to measure children’s development accurately and specialists to closely monitor and help stimulate children’s development to grow age-appropriately.
