**2. Birth to age 3**

#### *"In the garden of humanity, every baby is a fresh new flower." Mridha [2]*

Infants and toddlers are wonderful, miraculous, and exhausting. Each new day brings an odd mix of new discoveries and mind-numbing routines while attending to their every need. Caregivers have likely never been so amazed and exhausted in their lives. These new beings soak up every ounce of energy and love. Families are in awe of their new little ones and anxious about their development. Below, we outline typical and atypical developmental milestones for this period of time wherein exponential growth is the norm.

#### **2.1 Social and emotional development**

#### *2.1.1 Typical*

When a newborn comes home to a family, they typically require total care. Feeding, changing, and keeping them warm and dry consume the hours that make up each day. Children in this age span sleep a good portion of the day. They quiet down when they are picked up, turn toward voices, respond positively to touch, smile, recognize faces, and show pleasure when in a social situation [3]. Between 6 and 12 months, they display a few emotions, play peekaboo and simple games, comfort themselves, follow a few simple commands, and respond when they hear their name. Between 12 and 24 months, the typical child blossoms developmentally. The toddler will delight when they recognize him or herself in a picture and as they hug or kiss family members for greetings and goodbyes. One-year-olds will play alone for a few minutes and start saying no to many directions from caregivers [4, 5]. The 24- to 36-month-old toddler becomes more assertive and will let an adult know what he or she wants, which can be both humorous and tiring for the adult. He/she will watch other children play and will begin to join in and play near another child. This is known as "parallel play" [6]. Children this age prefer an ordered, more predictable routine, but they can adjust to change with minimum protest [7]. They want independence but need the security of their parents or caregiver, and they can become distressed if the caregiver becomes separated from them. During this age span, children begin to show empathy toward other children [7].

#### *2.1.2 Atypical*

When a baby or toddler has atypical social and emotional development, it is usually first noticed when the child does not smile or respond to their parent or caregiver. They may not imitate or show interest in adults or other children, which is unusual. Once they are toddlers, they may have extreme difficulty separating from their parents and waiting for a response or event to happen. They may not start interactions with others or respond to other children when they are spoken to. Children in this age span may show abnormal aggression or extreme passivity [8]. They may have rigidity about routines, and their sleep may be sporadic or

**255**

*Relationships and Resources: Supporting Exceptional Learners from Birth through Primary School*

interrupted. The social and emotional aspects of atypical development are very hard on parents. Taking care of a baby or toddler who may not be sleeping well and who may not respond to you or interact well with family or peers can be overwhelming. Parents who are tired and get little positive reinforcement from their child experience high levels of stress. Developmental milestones in these situations are no longer taken for granted but are earned through blood, sweat, and tears.

Besides smiling and interacting with a parent, typically developing infants between 0 and 6 months will start cooing and exhibiting differentiated cries. They will show excitement by waving their arms and legs, much to the delight of their caregivers. Between 6 and 12 months of age, the coos turn into playful babbles that may start to sound like words as they near the 1-year mark [9]. They will shout loudly to get attention, show affection, and start to understand cause and effect (e.g., if I cry, then something will happen). Children in this age span start to repeat a sequence of syllables and may say, "Momma" and/or "Dada" [6], which is so exciting for many adults who have dreamed what that moment would be like once they become parents. Somewhere between 12 and 24 months, the child begins to recognize names of familiar people, understands "No," and tries to repeat words they have heard in conversation [10]. The "songs" they sing serve as wonderful entertainment and memory-building material. Young toddlers usually use between 10 and 20 different words by 18 months, and by the age of 2, they have a vocabulary of about 200 words. At this point, they can combine two words together. Many times, this two-word strand begins with "My \_\_\_! " These children can generally point to body parts, follow one-step directions, and repeat words over and over [10]. Older toddlers (around three) have a vocabulary of about 450 words, can answer "where" questions, talk to peers and adults, match four colors, and understand "big" and

From birth to age 3, atypical development may include limited facial expressions, not turning to sounds, not responding to their name, not using gestures, and/ or lack of imitation. If the child between 12 and 18 months old has a vocabulary of less than 10 words, caregivers should seek professional assistance. A pediatrician is a good place to start. At 2, if the child does not have a vocabulary of 20–50 words and is not putting 2 words together, that is a concern. At 3, the child should have an interest in playing with other children and adults and use their language to communicate with others. At this point, they should have a vocabulary of about 100 words

From birth to 6 months is a time where a baby will move their arms together and apart, bring their hands to their mouth, and possibly suck on a finger or fist. He or she may lift his or her head and shoulders off the floor when they are placed on his/her tummy. Between 6 and 12 months, the baby will sit up, start crawling and cruising around furniture, and start walking with hands held [12]. Typically

and should be stringing 2–3 words together (airplane in sky) [11].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80809*

**2.2 Language and communication skills**

*2.2.1 Typical*

"little."

*2.2.2 Atypical*

*2.3.1 Typical*

**2.3 Fine and gross motor skills**

*Relationships and Resources: Supporting Exceptional Learners from Birth through Primary School DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80809*

interrupted. The social and emotional aspects of atypical development are very hard on parents. Taking care of a baby or toddler who may not be sleeping well and who may not respond to you or interact well with family or peers can be overwhelming. Parents who are tired and get little positive reinforcement from their child experience high levels of stress. Developmental milestones in these situations are no longer taken for granted but are earned through blood, sweat, and tears.

### **2.2 Language and communication skills**

#### *2.2.1 Typical*

*Early Childhood Education*

**2. Birth to age 3**

*2.1.1 Typical*

central to the growth of all learners.

exponential growth is the norm.

empathy toward other children [7].

**2.1 Social and emotional development**

regarding major milestones within each time period. Resources will be provided to

The content provided in this chapter is built on the premise that knowledge is power, that all children can learn, and that parent-professional partnerships are

Infants and toddlers are wonderful, miraculous, and exhausting. Each new day brings an odd mix of new discoveries and mind-numbing routines while attending to their every need. Caregivers have likely never been so amazed and exhausted in their lives. These new beings soak up every ounce of energy and love. Families are in awe of their new little ones and anxious about their development. Below, we outline typical and atypical developmental milestones for this period of time wherein

*"In the garden of humanity, every baby is a fresh new flower." Mridha [2]*

When a newborn comes home to a family, they typically require total care. Feeding, changing, and keeping them warm and dry consume the hours that make up each day. Children in this age span sleep a good portion of the day. They quiet down when they are picked up, turn toward voices, respond positively to touch, smile, recognize faces, and show pleasure when in a social situation [3]. Between 6 and 12 months, they display a few emotions, play peekaboo and simple games, comfort themselves, follow a few simple commands, and respond when they hear their name. Between 12 and 24 months, the typical child blossoms developmentally. The toddler will delight when they recognize him or herself in a picture and as they hug or kiss family members for greetings and goodbyes. One-year-olds will play alone for a few minutes and start saying no to many directions from caregivers [4, 5]. The 24- to 36-month-old toddler becomes more assertive and will let an adult know what he or she wants, which can be both humorous and tiring for the adult. He/she will watch other children play and will begin to join in and play near another child. This is known as "parallel play" [6]. Children this age prefer an ordered, more predictable routine, but they can adjust to change with minimum protest [7]. They want independence but need the security of their parents or caregiver, and they can become distressed if the caregiver becomes separated from them. During this age span, children begin to show

When a baby or toddler has atypical social and emotional development, it is usually first noticed when the child does not smile or respond to their parent or caregiver. They may not imitate or show interest in adults or other children, which is unusual. Once they are toddlers, they may have extreme difficulty separating from their parents and waiting for a response or event to happen. They may not start interactions with others or respond to other children when they are spoken to. Children in this age span may show abnormal aggression or extreme passivity [8]. They may have rigidity about routines, and their sleep may be sporadic or

assist families and their child(ren) to reach their highest potential.

**254**

*2.1.2 Atypical*

Besides smiling and interacting with a parent, typically developing infants between 0 and 6 months will start cooing and exhibiting differentiated cries. They will show excitement by waving their arms and legs, much to the delight of their caregivers. Between 6 and 12 months of age, the coos turn into playful babbles that may start to sound like words as they near the 1-year mark [9]. They will shout loudly to get attention, show affection, and start to understand cause and effect (e.g., if I cry, then something will happen). Children in this age span start to repeat a sequence of syllables and may say, "Momma" and/or "Dada" [6], which is so exciting for many adults who have dreamed what that moment would be like once they become parents. Somewhere between 12 and 24 months, the child begins to recognize names of familiar people, understands "No," and tries to repeat words they have heard in conversation [10]. The "songs" they sing serve as wonderful entertainment and memory-building material. Young toddlers usually use between 10 and 20 different words by 18 months, and by the age of 2, they have a vocabulary of about 200 words. At this point, they can combine two words together. Many times, this two-word strand begins with "My \_\_\_! " These children can generally point to body parts, follow one-step directions, and repeat words over and over [10]. Older toddlers (around three) have a vocabulary of about 450 words, can answer "where" questions, talk to peers and adults, match four colors, and understand "big" and "little."

#### *2.2.2 Atypical*

From birth to age 3, atypical development may include limited facial expressions, not turning to sounds, not responding to their name, not using gestures, and/ or lack of imitation. If the child between 12 and 18 months old has a vocabulary of less than 10 words, caregivers should seek professional assistance. A pediatrician is a good place to start. At 2, if the child does not have a vocabulary of 20–50 words and is not putting 2 words together, that is a concern. At 3, the child should have an interest in playing with other children and adults and use their language to communicate with others. At this point, they should have a vocabulary of about 100 words and should be stringing 2–3 words together (airplane in sky) [11].

#### **2.3 Fine and gross motor skills**

#### *2.3.1 Typical*

From birth to 6 months is a time where a baby will move their arms together and apart, bring their hands to their mouth, and possibly suck on a finger or fist. He or she may lift his or her head and shoulders off the floor when they are placed on his/her tummy. Between 6 and 12 months, the baby will sit up, start crawling and cruising around furniture, and start walking with hands held [12]. Typically

developing 6-month olds are working on sitting up with support. Around this same time, babies are attempting to roll over. As they reach 18 months, the child should be walking independently, and by 2 they should be running fairly well. At this same time, they should be able to walk up and down stairs while holding someone's hand. They can also point to pictures in a book. These interactions help build a bond between the baby and the caregiver. One welcome relief that comes around this time is the child's ability to hold his or her own cup or drink with minimal spilling. They are also able to scribble with a crayon to create "pictures." Between 2 and 3, children this age should be able to copy or make straight lines and circles with a writing utensil and string beads on yarn or string [10]. Around this age, the child should also be able to pedal a tricycle. This can give caregivers some extra exercise as they chase after their busy toddler.
