Development is a journey where each child moves forward in a series of steps. Early milestones are important when one is assessing a child for any areas of concern and their achievement holds true even when the child is older. I would like to continue from my earlier post on infant development and the milestones to look out for. These milestones are guidelines to help you observe your child as he/she goes through these stages or even if you have an older child and they have not successfully completed these stages. Please use the below checklist as a way of understanding whether there is a need for a further evaluation of your child’s cognitive, motor, social and emotional skills. It is always best to consult a pediatrician or a clinical psychologist for further assessment.
We are now going to look at the major developmental tasks and speech milestones in the toddler phase. Do not worry if your child has not completed one or two tasks but look at the overall picture of his/her development. Please use the below checklist only as a guideline to observe your child and if you find any concerns, do visit your doctor today.
| Developmental tasks | Expected age | Completed |
| Walks well without support | 2 -3 years | |
| Carries toy while walking | 2-3 years | |
| Squats to pick up a toy | 13 – 18 months | |
| Recognizes self in the mirror | 2-3 years | |
| Stacks two objects or blocks | 13-18 months | |
| Refers to self by name | 2-3 years | |
| Feeds self using a spoon or own hands | 2-3 years | |
| Drinks from glass unassisted | 2-3 years | |
| Occupies self in play | 2-3 years | |
| Goes up on steps using two feet at a time | 3 years | |
| Walks on tiptoe | 3 years | |
| Runs easily | 3 years | |
| Unwraps candy | 3 years | |
| Pulls off socks as part of undressing | 3 years | |
| Helps adults put away toys when asked | 3 years | |
| Turns pages one at a time | 3 years |
*Table taken from the “Academic Problems in primary school children enrolled under SSA-Karnataka”
Speech and language milestones in the toddler phase:
| Expected Age | Receptive language | Expressive language | Completed |
| 13-15 months | Follows 1-step command without gesture | Points to 1 body part; Immature jargoning; Can say up to 5 words | |
| 16-18 months | Point to 1 picture; Points to 3 body parts and to self | Mature jargoning; Up to 25 words; Giant words: “all gone, thank-you” | |
| 19-24 months | Begins to understand pronouns; Follows 2 step commands; Points to 5-10 pictures | Up to 50 words; 2-word sentences; Early telegraphic speech, for example: “Give water”, “Want mama” | |
| 25-30 months | Understands “just one”; Points to parts of pictures | Uses pronouns appropriately; uses plural words; speech is 50% intelligible | |
| 3 years | Knows opposites; follows 2 prepositions | 250+ words; 3-word sentences; Answers “what” and “where” questions; speech is 75% intelligible |
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