What the Average 12-Month-Old Should be Doing

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

26 Jan 2009 12:51 PM

Many of the requests that I have gotten lately for topics in this blog are guidelines as to what the normal development is of certain ages. For a long time, I have hesitated to talk about this for a few reasons. Each child develops differently, and what may seem behind could actually be perfectly normal, and babies who were born prematurely have different schedules related to age than do babies born full term. There is even a normal speech delay with bi-lingual children, who may not talk as quickly or with as much vocabulary because their brains are busy learning two (or more) languages at a time.

My mind was changed recently by the story of a friend of mine. She has a child that was recently diagnosed with autism. It wasn't discovered until her child was getting ready to enter kindergarten. My friend wishes that the diagnosis was made earlier, since the therapists now working with her child tell her that they could have expected a better result if her child was identified earlier. Although she suspected that there might be something wrong, everyone kept telling her that her child would catch up and that different children grow at different speeds.

So with that in mind, and with the advice to always seek a professional if you suspect developmental delays, here is a list of what the average 12-month old should be doing. These are minimum points, and many 12-month olds may be uttering one or even two-word phrases.

Following simple directions such as fetching a toy when you ask

Following your finger to look at something when you point to it

Using body gestures to communicate, such nodding, shaking his head no or waving "bye bye"

Bringing interesting (to her) things for you to look at

Pointing or gesturing to things that he wants to have

Combining sounds that sound like speech, even if you can't understand the words.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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