A Guide for Families

How proud you must be of your baby toddler!

Young children grow and change almost daily! As a parent, you are the most important person in your baby's life. You give your baby lots of love and you watch the way your child learns and grows. In preparation for your next appointment with your child's health care provider, use this page to think about what your child is already doing and what concerns or questions you want to discuss with your child's nurse or doctor. This developmental checklist describes what most children are doing from birth to 2 1/2 years old.

Developmental Checklist

By 4 Months Old

• Does your baby smile at you when you smile?
• Does your baby watch you when you move?
• Does your baby make cooing sounds like "ooo" and "aaa"?
• Does your baby lift his head and chest when on his tummy?
• Does your baby play with her hands by touching them together?

By 7 Months Old

• Does your baby laugh and say bababa or dadada?
• Does your baby turn his head and look at you when you talk to him?
• Does your baby feed herself with her fingers?
• Does your baby roll from his tummy to his back or from his back to tummy?
• Does your baby learn about toys by putting them in her mouth? (Make sure toys are too big to swallow)
• Can your baby stay sitting up by himself?

By 10 Months Old

• Does your baby play "peek-a-boo" or wave "bye-bye" after he sees you do it?
• Does your baby hold something in each hand at the same time?
• Does your baby pick up small things (like a Cheerio) using her thumb and one finger?
• Does your baby scoot or crawl across the floor on his tummy?
• Does your baby pull up to standing and stand by holding onto furniture?

By 12 Months Old (1 Year Old)

• Does your baby shake her head "no"?
• Does your baby look at the right things when you say words like "bottle" or "ball"?
• Does your baby say "Mama" or "Dada" to the right person?
• Does your baby find a toy when he sees you hide it?
• Does your baby take steps when holding onto furniture?

By 15 Months Old

• Does your baby point or ask for things she wants?
• Does your baby help with dressing by putting his arm in the sleeve of a shirt?
• Does your baby say any words besides "mama" or "dada"?
• Does your baby point to familiar objects when you name them?
• Does your baby scribble on paper using crayons or pencils?
• Does your baby walk by herself?

By 18 Months Old

• Does your child drink from a cup and use a spoon?
• Does your child say words to tell what he wants?
• Does your child like to put things in and take things out of containers?
• Does your child like to look at books and turn pages by herself?

By 24 Months (2 Years Old)

• Does your child take off his sweater, hat, or socks by himself?
• Does your child match pairs of objects that are the same (like socks, shoes, or mittens)?
• Does your child point to pictures in a book when you name them?
• Has your child begun to use 2 word sentences (like mama's shoe, car go, daddy bye-bye)?
• Does your child stack things on top of one another?
• Can your child kick a ball?

By 30 Months (2 1/2 Years Old)

• Does your child turn the pages of a book, one at a time?
• Does your child wash and dry her hands?
• Has your child begun to ask to go to the bathroom?
• Does your child sometimes use 3 word sentences (like "I want cookie")?
• Does your child use pronouns like "I", "you", and "me"?
• Can your child jump from a bottom step?

 The Multidisciplinary Evaluation

The first step after deciding to contact the Early Intervention Program is to have the child evaluated by a small team of professionals. The evaluation is done at no charge to the family.

During the evaluation, the parents and the professionals play with the child and the parents are asked many questions about what the child does at home. By looking at how the child performs during the evaluation and what the parents say the child does at home, the professionals evaluate the following:

• Gross motor skills (how the child moves)
• Fine motor skills (how the child uses their hands)
• Language skills (how the child uses sounds, words and gestures to express needs, and how they respond to what other people say)
• Personal social skills (how the child gets along with others)
• Self-Help skills (how the child eats, drinks, and sleeps)
• Cognitive skills (how the child thinks and learns)

At the end of the evaluation, the professionals will share their observations and suggest to the family what services the child might need.

Individualized Family Service Plan

The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a step-by-step plan that outlines what services the child needs and what the goals of these services will be. The plan is written by the professionals who evaluate the child, the family and anyone else the family would like to invite. With the team's help, the family identifies changes they want to see as a result of the Early Intervention Services. The plan will specifically state what resources and professionals will be used to carry out the plan.

Service Coordination

Every family receiving Early Intervention Services is assigned to a service coordinator. The service coordinator helps the family to:

• Learn about the child's development and disabilities
• Find resources and answers to questions concerning the child's medical condition
• Identify other people or programs that might offer support or help to meet the goals for the child
• Write the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) so everyone involved in the child's care knows what the goals are
• Coordinates services outline in the IFSP to ensure that everyone is involved
• Ensures the family knows their rights and responsibilities

For more information about resources and services for
infants and toddlers with special needs please call (434) 395-2967 or Toll Free (866) 392-8502