In a Nutshell…Your Child at 18 Months Old

In a Nutshell…Your Child at 18 Months Old

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Your child is now officially a toddler and what a difference you’ll notice in her learning and development moving forward! At 18 months old, she is starting to negotiate her way between the safety of your protective arms and her growing sense of independence.1 As a result, she may be clingy and dependent on you during one moment, but start exploring nearby on her own, helping to take off her clothing, or throwing a tantrum to express her frustrations the next.2,3

Your child’s language skills are also more advanced, allowing her to point out interesting objects, look at pictures and objects you identify, use single words appropriately (e.g. “yes”, “stop”, and “mine”), and say more simple words other than “mama” and “dada.”2,3 Physically, she should be able fill and dump containers full of toys, walk well enough on her own to push, pull, or carry toys, and even run with more control by now!2,3 As she nears her 18-month mark, she will begin using common objects appropriately, identifying body parts, and enjoying pretend playing with dolls.2,3

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Physical strength and muscle coordination are very important to your child’s ability to navigate her physical environment, accomplish things on her own, and optimize learning. Research in neural plasticity supports the finding that children who develop strong physical abilities in rich environments build neural pathways and strengthen brain connections that can help them grow in every learning domain.4,5 But physical delays are quite common in the U.S., with approximately 6% of children having a developmental coordination disorder (also known as dyspraxia or “clumsy child syndrome,” which shows as a lack of coordination between a child’s intentions and her actions)6,7 and 3.3 out of 1,000 children develop a more permanent physical disability (e.g. cerebral palsy).8

Motor delays are classified as either gross or fine motor delays. Gross motor delays involve a child’s lack of coordination between large muscle groups and body movements, including difficulties with sitting, crawling, walking, and standing.9 Fine motor delays refer to a child’s difficulties with dexterity, the ability to effectively use her hands and fingers to manipulate and handle objects.9 Common motor issues found in children include poor core stability (due to low muscle tone, weak trunk support, and low shoulder and wrist stability), difficulty with sequencing actions (often due to lack of bilateral control or an inability to coordinate both sides of the body), and the inability to coordinate timing of body movements with objects (e.g. catching a ball).10

Because early detection and treatment is key to giving a child the best possible outcome, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends developmental screenings for motor delays at 9-, 18-, and 30-month well-child visits with pediatricians.11 During these screenings, not only should your child be evaluated on her ability to demonstrate age-appropriate developmental milestones,11 such as rolling over, sitting, and grabbing objects with her pincer grasp, you and your care provider should also discuss her muscle tone and her “general posture, play, and spontaneous motor functions.”8 So be sure to partner up with your child’s doctor so you can get help for any physical issues or delays she may be experiencing.

Developmental Concerns

The world is your 18-month-old’s oyster now that she can do so many things on her own! However, continue to be on the look out for any major developmental red flags that your child may develop as she plays and interacts with others.

Social Emotional Development

At this age, your child should be quite quite social and attached to familiar people. In fact, it is not uncommon for children this age to still exhibit separation anxiety.12 However, if you notice that she does not notice or care if you and other important caregivers leave or return,3 you may want to take notice of her general pattern of social interaction and attachment with people. Young children who do not develop typical attachment behaviors or age-appropriate social interaction skills may be at risk for an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).13

Language Development

Most 18-month-old toddlers are able to point out objects to communicate,3 learn new words at a quicker rate,3 and speak at least 15 words.2 If she does not, consider getting her evaluated for a possible language delay issue or autism.13

Physical Development 

The main cause of concern for your child’s physical development centers on her ability to walk.2,3 Most babies take their first unsupported steps around their first birthdays. During the 12- to 18-month stage, they typically learn to “toddle” (e.g walk using jerky, wide leg movements).14 But with about 6 months of practice, many children develop the body movement control and coordination skills that enable them to walk balanced, with their hands at their sides, and using a narrower stance and heel-to-toe gait.14

Cognitive Development

With about a year of exposure, watching and imitating you use common objects during the course of your day together, your child should understand how to use many household objects. If she appears to lack an understanding of how to use basic items, like a hairbrush, telephone, cup, or spoon,2,3 be sure to mention this to her physician during her next well-child visit. This lack of understanding may indicate a cognitive developmental delay.

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Track Your Child’s Learning Progress!

Although your child is developing at her own pace, failure to achieve important developmental milestones may signal potential medical or developmental problems requiring special attention.2 Continue to engage her with Playful Bee’s Just Right LearningTM curriculum and track her learning progress weekly. By supporting her development across all learning domains (Social-Emotional, Language, Physical, and Cognitive development), you are giving your child a great head start in life! To review and check out all of her achievements to date, click on her 12-18 month old developmental milestone list.

Although your child can do so many things on her own now, be sure to be on the look out for any major developmental red flags that she may exhibit when she plays and interacts with others. If you notice any of the following traits or behaviors, you should speak to your care provider about your concerns.

Social Emotional Development:

  • Doesn’t notice or mind when a caregiver leaves or returns.

Language Development:

  • Can’t speak at least fifteen (15) words.
  • Doesn’t gain new words.
  • Doesn’t point to show things to others.

Physical Development:

  • Can’t walk.

Cognitive Development:

  • Doesn’t know how to use common household objects (e.g. brush, telephone, fork, spoon).
  • Loses skills she once had.

To review and check out all of your child’s achievements to date, click on her 12-18 month old developmental milestone list.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Sources:

1Mooney, Carol Garhart (2000). Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky. St Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

2American Academy of Pediatrics: Shelov, Steven P. (Ed.) (2009). Caring for your Baby and Young Child – Birth to Age 5 (5 ed.). New York, NY: Bantam Books.

3Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012). Important Milestones: Your baby at Eighteen Months. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved March 11, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-18mo.html.

4Nelson, Charles A. (1999). Neural Plasticity and Human Development. Current Directions in Psychological Science 8(2), 42-45.

5Gabbard, Carl and Rodrigues, Luis. Optimizing Early Brain and Motor Development Through Movement. Early Childhood News. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=360.

6Gibbs, John; Appleton, Jeanette; and Appleton, Richard (2007). Dyspraxia or Developmental Coordination Disorder? Unraveling the Enigma. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 92(6), 534-539. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2066137/.

7Barwell, Janet (2012). The Truth behind Clumsy Child Syndrome: Developmental Coordination Disorder. Healthline: Reference Library. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.healthline.com/health/developmental-coordination-disorder#Overview.

8Henderson, Diedtra (2013). Guidance for Identifying Motor Delays in Children. Medscape.Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/804990.

9Collage Pediatric Therapy. Fine and Gross Motor Delays. Collage Pediatric Therapy: Childhood Disabilities & Disorders. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.collagetherapies.ca/en/fine-and-gross-motor-delays.

10Kids Matter Occupational Therapy. Gross of Fine Motor Delays. Kids Matter Occupational Therapy. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.kidsmatters.com.au/programs/gross-or-fine-motor-delays.

11American Academy of Pediatrics. Early Detection and Diagnosis of Motor Delays Is Key, According to a New AAP Report. American Academy of Pediatrics: AAP Press Room. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/Early-Detection-Diagnosis-Motor-Delays-is-Key-According-to-AAP-Report.aspx.

12Pendley, Jennifer Shroff (2012). Separation Anxiety. Kids Health. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/sep_anxiety.html.

13Autism Speaks. What Are the Symptoms of Autism? Autism Speaks.  Retrieved on April 3, 2014, from http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/symptoms#top.

14Gavin, Mary L. (2011). Movement Coordination, and Your 1- to 2-Year Old. Kids Health. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/movement/move12yr.html.

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee
Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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