Child development stages
theoretical milestones of child development
Child development stages are the theoretical milestones of child development, some of which are asserted in nativist theories. This article discusses the most widely accepted developmental stages in children. There exists a wide variation in terms of what is considered "normal", caused by variations in genetic, cognitive, physical, family, cultural, nutritional, educational, and environmental factors. Many children reach some or most of these milestones at different times from the norm.
Holistic development sees the child in the round, as a whole person – physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, morally, culturally, and spiritually. Learning about child development involves studying patterns of growth and development, from which guidelines for 'normal' development are construed. Developmental norms are sometimes called milestones – they define the recognized development pattern that children are expected to follow. Each child develops uniquely; however, using norms helps in understanding these general patterns of development while recognizing the wide variation between individuals.
One way to identify pervasive developmental disorders is if infants fail to meet the developmental milestones in time or at all.
Table of milestones
Infancy
Newborn
Physical development
Infants are usually born weighing between 5 pounds 8 ounces (2,500 g) and 8 pounds 13 ounces (4,000 g), but infants born prematurely often weigh less.
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This entry incorporates text from “Child development stages” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.