Milestones

There's nothing like seeing a child take their first step. Or say their first word. These milestones are a huge part of development and praising the child only makes them want to move forward. For parents with normally developing kids, there are developmental characteristics that aren't as exciting yet still important. They are not noticed quite as much, but arents still praise these features eventhough they seem very small.

For example, clapping. This is one thing a baby will start to do in their first year of life. It a very important milestone because this means that the child is aware of thier hands and can start to display an even wider range of emotion. One of the kids that I work with in the kindergarten is 15 months. He just started to clap ylast week. At first, he would only put his hands together unless there is a flashing lightstick pushed up against his body. Now, if I say "can you clap for me?" he will. Since he has started to clap, he has been a little bit more successful in refining his gross motor skills. The cube goes into the box instead of staying on the table or being thrown on the floor.

How do you get a kid to learn to clap? Besides doing it for him, which is also good practice, the reward system also works. The therapist told me to sing a song that he likes and clap. I should stop in the middle and if he wants more he will put his hands to mine signaling that he wants more. It's not the full motion, but it's a start. After a few weeks of just touching my hands, he began keeping his hands on mine as I sang the song. It still takes some prompting, but this boy will clap for you.

Another simple task that parents will acknowledge, but won't think too much about it the simple task of being able to hold your head up and to turn it. Every person takes that for granted. We all learned when we were infants and have been continuing to hold our heads up for years. But this simple act for a child with the lack of muscles is a tiring feat. One boy, who just turned one, is barely able to hold his head up. If he is sitting up, he is able to look at you. But if you put him on the ground, he is not only unable to lift his body off the ground, but he also doesn't have enough muscle to look straight ahead. He needs this tummy time as the hair on the back of his head still isn't as full as the rest of the hair on his head. Plus, he's lazy. We all know this cutie can do it, but i'm pretty sure he knows just exactly how adorable he is and knows that someone will just do the task for him.

Another milestone that is taken for granted is the ability to stand from a sitting position. Usually this is one of the first signs that a baby will begin to take their first steps in a few months. A baby needs to learn to balance on two legs before they can begin to move them. The same boy that just started clapping is learning to stand up from a sitting position. He can't really stand yet, we are working on that too, but his favorite game is to sit on a wooden stool and be pulled upwards. I think he will be standing with help soon. His legs now straighten when he is in an upright position, as opposed to the jelly legs he had a few months ago.

Sidenote: It is not at all sad to be with these kids becaue they are changing everyday. The early intervention that they are going through will allow them to live a relatively normal life. Besides, how can you be sad when the moment you walk in the door and say "good morning", the kids put on a bright smile?