Being a new parent can be scary—navigating new territory and understanding your child’s development is no easy task. ABC Pediatric Therapy is here to help coach you through your concerns. Start by taking ABC’s free online screening tool to gauge your child’s developmental progress. To provide additional education, the experts at ABC Pediatric Therapy outline four common issues that parents may face during their child’s early years.

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Torticollis

Torticollis is a diagnosis characterized by having a tight sternocleidomastoid muscle. You may notice your child favors one side or has a flat spot on his or her head. These are potential signs of torticollis. With weekly physical therapy and home exercises, this issue can be resolved in a few months. Other symptoms to watch for include:

• Prefers to look toward one side
• May keep the head tilted toward one side
• Has difficulty turning the head toward one side
• Limited range of motion of the head and neck
• Prefers looking at you over one shoulder instead of turning to follow you with their eyes
• If breastfed, has trouble breastfeeding on one side

Physical Therapy Milestones:

Movement plays a crucial role in a child’s development. And while every child learns movements at an individual rate, developmental delays may cause concern and hardship. The experts at ABC Pediatric Therapy can help enhance your child’s gross motor development in fun and creative ways. So much gross motor development happens within the first year, including holding the head up, rolling, crawling, sitting, creeping, standing, and walking! Click here for a full list of milestones.

Speech Milestones

Experiencing your child learn to communicate is one of the most exciting developmental milestones of their early years. From babbling to saying their first word, communication is critical for children to develop during their early years. One of the best ways to help encourage improving speech? Read books with your children! Speech-related milestones that indicate healthy communication development include:

→ By 12 months

• Says about three words like mama, dada, and dog
• Babbles using different sounds
• Takes turns vocalizing
• Points and gestures

→ By 24 months

• Single simple songs
• Knows 20 different words
• Identifies six body parts
• Follows one-step commands
• Recognizes self in a photo

→ By 36 months

• Vocabulary growing from 100 words to 1,000 words
• Producing full sentences during conversation
• Speech is 75% understandable
• Making the “k” and “g” sounds
• Inquisitive and asking questions becomes frequent (what, where, when, who, why)

Feeding Development

Like speech, muscle movements are similar to feeding—if there is a delay in one, sometimes there’s a delay in the other. Picky eating is another facet of feeding. (Gagging, choking, or vomiting often when eating or drinking could be red flags.) If your child only eats certain foods or dislikes trying new foods, they may be considered a picky eater. A sensory sensitive child is sometimes hypersensitive to the smell, sight, or texture of certain foods, which limits their overall diet and nutrition. A speech therapist or occupational therapist can work with your child on integrating more food choices to their diet. Feeding milestones that indicate healthy development include:

→ By 12 months

• Feeding self with fingers
• Tolerates coarsely chopped food

→ By 24 months

• Explores by playing with food
• Begins self-feeding
• Moves food from side to side of mouth
• Begins using a straw

→ By 36 months

• Chewing and swallowing “adult food” with lips closed (i.e. steak, raw vegetables, nuts, etc.)
• Moving to drinking from an open cup without spilling
• Using a fork and spoon will become an independent task
• A highchair is no longer needed

Find out if your child is on track using ABC Pediatric Therapy’s Free Online Screening Tool

To better understand your child’s development, ABC Pediatric Therapy designed an interactive screening tool that asks questions about fine and gross motor skills, sensory, and speech. The results will offer suggestions on next steps you should take, including seeking help from the experts at ABC Pediatric Therapy for additional support. If you have questions or concerns, contact ABC Pediatric Therapy today, and follow ABC on Instagram.