A. Normal – Explanation

Only around 12 months does the child say his/her first words. E.g. “mama”
Smiling, laughing and being not shy is normal for her age group
Only around 7 to 8 months do babies sit unsupported. Refer if by 12 months unable to
sit unsupported
Holding using her palms at her age group is normal.
Developmental milestones is a commonly asked question in PLAB. Try to memorize
some basic ones.
PAEDIATRIC DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Age	Gross motor	Fine motor	Language	Social
6 weeks	Good head control	Fixes and follows face	Still in response to sound	Smiles
3 months	Neck holding	Hands open half the time	Startle at loud noise, cooing	Recognises mother
6 months	Rolls over in both directions (supine to prone) (prone to supine)	Transfers hand to hand	Monosyllabic (mostly babbles)	Knows familiar faces Likes to play with others, especially parents
9 months	Crawling, sit with support, pulls to stand	Pincer grasp	Bi-syllabic (“Mama”, “bye bye”)	Stranger fear, holds/bites food
1 year	Walks independently	Stacks two blocks, Throws objects	Two words with meaning	Wave, clapping
2 years	Running, up and down steps holding on, kicks ball	Stacks four blocks, makes or copies straight lines	Simple sentences (with 2 to 4 words)	Copies others
2 years	Tricycle, walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step	Stacks eight blocks, makes or copies circles	Can tell name, age, gender	Dresses and undresses self
4 years	Hops, jumps, walks	Stacks twelve blocks	Tell Stories, poems	Cooperates with other children
5 years	Skips (both legs above ground)	Can draw a peson with at least 6 body parts, copies a triangle and other geometric shapes	Understands complex instructions	Wants to please friends

Here are some ways to memorise this table

This figure is intersected at 4 different levels of the body which represent different time
frames.

• 3 months – Neck – Holds neck
• 6 months – Body – Rolls both directions
• 9 months – Knees – Crawling
• 12 months – Feet – Walks

For fine motor skills, remember this pattern:

• At 2 years – Draws a line
• At 3 years – Draws a circle
• At 4 years – Draws a cross and square
• At 5 years – Draws a triangle

Below are certain negative indicators (things a child cannot do) by a certain age that
you should recognise and refer to a specialist community paediatric assessment:

• Unable to sit unsupported at 12 months of age
• Unable to walk by 18 months of age
• No speech at 18 months of age
• Unable to run by 2.5 years of age
• Unable to hold objects placed in hand by 5 months of age
• Unable to reach for objects by 6 months of age

Centres for disease control and prevention website have really good videos of babies to
watch which would help you with your studies for paediatric milestones