In therapy sessions at Quickstepz Paediatric Therapy we are looking at the child’s developmental milestones relating to how they attend, interact, relate and communicate with others. We believe this is the basis for all other learning. This may differ from other educational and developmental models where a child’s development may be seen as the acquisition of a multitude of skills that may include; the ability to use two words together, know the alphabet, to use a pencil appropriately or to climb as expected for one’s age.
For the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or who may be at risk for ASD or the child who has significant developmental delay or regulation issues, it is pertinent that first they learn how to interact and relate to others.
The following six basic developmental milestones lay a foundation for all our learning and development. In a typically developing child, these developmental milestones develop from birth through to four years of age. At 4 years of age, your typical preschool aged child will have mastered all six developmental levels.
Children following a typical developmental pathway often will master these milestones relatively easily. Children with special needs or developmental challenges often don’t, not necessarily because they can’t, but because their biological challenges make the mastery more difficult.
The child’s capacity at each of these milestone levels mature as they grow older. Solid skills are not anticipated at the ages indicated in the below section. For example, in comparison to a 12 month old, a 3 year old child is expected to have quite sophisticated skills in “Milestone 1: Attention and Regulation”. This is a framework used to indicate to the therapist and parents a child’s skill level at each milestone at any point in time and to monitor progress.
(Emerges 0-3 months)
This is the child’s ability to show an interest in the world and the people around them.
Can he share attention with another person? i.e are they able to maintain interest in what the other person is saying/doing?
Does he have interest in his surroundings and the people around him?
Is he able to have focused attention for sustained periods? What limits this?
When playing with peers, is he able to remain calm and attend to another child’s ideas, words or actions?
Is the child able to regulate his/her attention and behaviour while being interested in the full range of sensations (sights, sounds, smells, their own movement patterns etc).
To what extent is the child able to process their surroundings, filter out distractions, and pay attention to the person interacting with them or to the task at hand.
Does the child have difficulty regulating/calming oneself or perhaps settling at rest time?
Solid Skills- The child is interested in the world around them and aware of those around them. The child shows intense interest in what you want to show them or teach them. The child is able to be calm and organized in their actions. They can attend and interact with others when happy and under stress.
Not yet reached- The child may be more self absorbed and less able to engage with others. They may engage in self stimulating behaviour (e.g lining up toys, flapping arms, flickering their hands, running in circles). The child may be inflexible or rigid in their behaviour, anxious, withdrawn, or perhaps easily over stimulated by sights and sounds in their surrounds.
(Emerges 2-7 months)
This is the child’s ability to engage in relationships, including the depth and range of his pleasure and warmth, the related feelings, such as assertiveness or sadness that can be incorporated into the quality and the stability of the child’s engagement (some children may withdraw or become aimless when under stress).
Your child’s capacity to relate to other peers and adults and develop relationships.
To what extent is the child interested and motivated to play with others? Does play have to be on their terms only, i.e what they are interested in doing?
(Continued on next page)
Autism & Your Child, blogspot
Autism is a complex developmental disorder that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and play activities.
To catch up on the lastest news or read one of our featured articles, click here
© 2007 Quickstepz