Every Child Is Unique!

From the first experience of counting their child’s fingers and toes, parents are concerned that their child is normal – like other children at the same age and stage of development. Parents worry. It’s their job! The following discussion of the general principles may help you understand how children develop.

The first general principle is that growth follows a universal and predictable sequence. The milestones of development are observable. The predictability of development can be seen in each area of development: physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language. For example, in the physical domain, development proceeds from sitting to crawling, to pulling to a stand, to walk.

v The second general principle is that development proceeds from the simple to the complex, or from the general to the specific. Your child acquires simple skills before more complex ones can be attempted. For example, children always eat first with their fingers before attempting to use a spoon or fork. Both of these trends are influenced by children’s unique pace through the developmental sequence, the unevenness of development in general, and the opportunities available for experience and practice of emerging skills. njoy your child’s unique skill repertoire. Resist the temptation to compare too much, because no one else’s child is just like yours!

Enjoy your child’s unique skill repertoire. Resist the temptation to compare too much, because no one else’s child is just like yours!

The third principle is that each child has an individual patterns and timing of growth – each child is unique. Although the sequence is predictable, each child’s individual progress through the sequence is subject to variation. For example, one child may pull to a stand and walk at 7 or 8 months while another may do so at 12-13 months. Both are normal. It is normal for progress through the sequence to vary.