You are the most important observer of your child's development. If your child has special needs, early help can make a difference. This is a simple tool you can use to be aware of and appreciate the dramatic changes that are occurring in your child. Watch for these signs in your child over a one month period. (Even children have "bad days.")

Remember, each child is different and may learn and grow at a different rate. However, if your child cannot do many of the skills listed for his or her age group, you should consult your pediatrician. If your child was born earlier than expected, be sure to deduct the number of months born early from his or her age. A 5-month-old born 2 months early would be expected to show the same skills as a 3-month-old who was born on his or her due date.

Motor Skills

1. Feed herself (with little spilling)
2. Try to use a fork
3. Hold a pencil and try to write name
4. Draw with the arm and not small hand movements
5. Draw a circl and a face
6. Try to cut paper with blunt scissors
7. Sometimes unbutton buttons
8. Try to buckle, button, and lace, even though she probably needs help
9. Completely undress herself if wearing clothes with simple fasteners
10. Brush teeth with help
11. Build a tower of 7-9 blocks
12. Put together a simple puzzle of 4-12 pieces
13. Pour from a small pitcher
14. Use the toilet alone
15. Try to skip and catch a bouncing ball
16. Walk downstairs using a handrail and alternating feet
17. Swing, starting by himself and keeping himself going

Sensory and Thinking Skills

1. Recognize red, yellow, and blue
2. Understand taking turns and can do so without always being reminded
3. Understand "big," "little," "tall," "short"
4. Want to know what will happen next
5. Sort by shape or color
6. Count up to 5 objects
7. Follow three instructions given at one time
8. ("Put the toys away, wash your hands, and come eat.")
9. Distinguish between the real world and the imaginary or pretend world
10. Identify situations that would lead to happiness, sadness, or anger

Language and Social Skills

1. Have a large vocabulary and use good grammar often and often talk about action in conversation ("go," "do," "make")
2. Enjoy rhyming and nonsense words and use regular past tenses of verbs ("pulled," "walked")
3. Use "a," "an," and "the" when speaking
4. Ask direct questions ("May I?" "Would you?") and want explanations of "why" and "how"
5. Relate a simple experience she has had recently
6. Understand "next to"
7. Separate from his parent for a short time without crying
8. Selp clean up toys at home or school when asked to and l ike to play "dress up"
9. Pretend to play with imaginary objects
10. Act out elaborate events which tell a story (as in serving an imaginary dinner or going on a "dragon hunt")
11. Sometimes cooperate with other children
12. Often prefer playing with other children to playing alone, unless deeply involved in a solitary task
13. Change the rules of a game as he goes along
14. Try to bargain ("I'll give you this toy if you'll give me that one") and share when asked
15. Enjoy tag, hide-and-seek and other games with simple rules
16. Like moderate "rough and tumble" play and like to do things for himself
17. Know her age and the town where she lives and act as though a doll or stuffed animal thinks and feels on its own