Expected Developmental Milestones By Age
click above for more info on Milestones By Age.
Starting an Evaluation:
- Ask teachers or daycare staff for their assessment
- Schedule a visit to talk with your child’s primary care provider, be sure to discuss any vision or hearing concerns
- Request a free early intervention evaluation by the San Diego Regional Center (eligibility: any child < 3 years with possible developmental delay or high-risk medical conditions). Parents of eligible children may self-refer by calling (858) 576-2996.
- Request a school-based evaluation (eligibility: any child >=3 years with speech or learning concerns even if home schooling or not yet in kindergarten). Parents may self-refer by contacting their neighborhood school or school district office.
- A sample letter that parents can give to the school office (keep a copy dated by school staff to acknowledge receipt) is in the DoD Special Needs Toolkit. This toolkit is is available at the Military HomeFront website.
- By federal law, public schools must do an initial evaluation within 60 days of a parent’s request
I’m Worried About My Child’s Speech…
Many parents worry that their child isn’t developing speech in a normal way. Here are some guidelines to watch for:
- Your child isn’t babbling by age 9 months
- Your child has no words at all by age 15 months
- Your child doesn’t consistently use words to communicate by age 18 months
- Your child doesn’t put two or more words together by age 26 months
- Non-family members can’t understand at least 50% of your child’s speech by age 24 months
- Non-family members can’t understand at least 75% of your child’s speech by age 36 months
- Your child shows slowed or stagnant speech development at any age
- Your child has a sudden loss of speech and language skills at any age
If you think that your child falls into one or more of these “worry” categories, you should make an appointment for evaluation.
Is My Child Autistic?
Many parents worry that their child has autistic behaviors. Reasons for worrying can fall into five areas:
- Pointing
- Your child doesn’t look where you’re pointing by age 12 months
- Your child doesn’t use his or her finger to point at things to show you by age 16 months
- Social orientation
- Your child doesn’t look at you when his or her name is called by age 10 months
- Symbolic play
- Your child doesn’t engage in biting and mouthing of objects by age 6 months
- Your child doesn’t bang objects together by age 10 months
- Your child doesn’t stack blocks or objects by age 14 months
- Your child doesn’t engage in “pretend” play by age 18 months
- Language
- Your child isn’t babbling by age 9 months
- Your child doesn’t have inflected babbling (variations in tone) by age 12 months
- Behavior
- Your child engages in unusual repetitive behaviors (spinning, pacing, etc.)
- Your child has an unusual fascination with objects or parts of objects (e.g. spinning wheels on a toy car)
If you think that your child falls into one or more of these “worry” categories, make an appointment for evaluation (these red flags don’t necessarily mean that you child has autism, but further evaluation is warranted).