The development of infants or toddlers occurs in a very predictable sequence which can be visible from the way a child begins by crawling prior to walking or even babbling before they can actually talk. Each developmental stage or milestone can vary from one child to another but the variation should be within acceptable variances that can be covered over time. For instance some children may achieve fast development in the initial 18 months and slower development in the subsequent stages; others may present with slow growth in the early stages and fast growth in the latter stages. However, there are cases in which some children may present with abnormal growth and development and this information is useful to the caregiver so as to determine the toddler’s development and the possible interventions that can be initiated early to avert developmental delays in future (Child Development Program, 2015).
In Brian’s case, physical development is within the accepted standard developmental occurrences according to the ‘The “Red Flag” Early Intervention Referral Guide for children 0 – 5 years’. However, the social development proves to be delayed or poor as indicated by the inability to adhere to commands beyond on step limit. The recommended capabilities for a child of his age are that they can follow commands beyond a one-step limit (Illingworth, 2013). On the other hand, Brian’s vocabulary is limited to six words while the recommended vocabulary for his age range is up to 50 vocabularies. His apparent resistance to feeding routines and nighttime is only acceptable for toddlers within the age limit of 0-18 months. Further, his temper tantrums and the inability to calm down even on the intervention of the mother are all indications of slow growth and development at the cognitive level (Briggs-Gowan, 2004).
At his age, Brian should be in a position to identify and respond to such comfort appeals by those close to him. In this case, the focus is on a modified nutritional or dietary plan for the child as well as increased sessions for social interaction with the family members at the accepted level. The dietary approach is a constant while the social interaction seeks to increase the child’s ability to respond to various environmental changes which can only be availed in the presence of other people. The involvement of the caregiver to help analyze and monitor this child’s development at the social and cognitive levels is a crucial element in determining progress or otherwise and thus setting out a new care plan if necessary (Vohr et al., 2012).
References
Briggs-Gowan, M. J. (2004). The Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment: Screening for Social-Emotional Problems and Delays in Competence. Journal of Pediatric Psychology,29(2), 143-155. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsh017
Child Development Program. (2015). The “Red Flag” Early Intervention Referral Guide for children 0 – 5 years. Retrieved from https://www.health.qld.gov.au/cq/child-development/docs/red-flag-a3-poster-banana.pdf
Illingworth, R. S. (2013). The development of the infant and the young child: Normal and abnormal. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Vohr, B. R., Stephens, B. E., Higgins, R. D., Bann, C. M., Hintz, S. R., Das, A., & Evans, P. W. (2012). Are outcomes of extremely preterm infants improving? Impact of Bayley assessment on outcomes. The Journal of pediatrics, 161(2), 222-228.
