Kendall is a 10 months old baby girl. The observations are made in a pediatric clinic where Kendall is tested for various developmental skills including motor skills, visual perception, social skills, language and playfulness. This paper discusses the observations made from the video by reviewing existing literature on developmental skills among 10 months old infants.
It is expected that a 10-month-old baby has developed several gross motor skills. These include ability to sit, being able to crawl as well as standing with the aid of objects. Such a baby may also be able to cruise using available furniture. It is notable that walking develops between the age of 9 and 18 months (Antoon & Tompkins, 2000). The baby in this video can be said to have developed strong gross motor skills as evidenced by her ability to crawl forward on her belly and her attempts to stand and walk by herself.
Some of the fine motor skills that a 10-month-old baby should have developed include the ability to pick up tiny items like cheese cubes and cereals (pieces). The baby is supposed to have a pincer grasp on such smaller items. Another important fine motor skill is the ability to transfer small items such as toys from one container to the other (What to Expect, 2010). The child in the video demonstrated strong fine motor skills as evidenced by her ability to grasp magnetic coins using a pincer grasp. Moreover, the child successfully put the monkey toy into the cage and removed blocks from a container.
The language skills of a 10-month-old baby should be such that the baby can use some gestures such as waving good-bye. The child is also expected to recognize simple instructions though she may not necessarily respond to the instructions. In some instances, the child may be able to pronounce words such as “mama” (How Kids develop, 2010). The baby in the video demonstrated some language skills that were characterized by babbling with inflection as expected for 10-month-old babies. The fact that the child would follow instructions when told to let go of any objects in her hand is also an indication that the baby has competent language skills at her age.
The emotional and social development of the child in this video can be said to be substantially developed. This is because the child is able to show specific preferences for certain people and toys. It is observable that when the child is given a blue box, she extends her arm to grab the yellow box. The emotional part of the child is not grown enough as she is unable to drink from the cup. It is expected that a child at this age should attempt to drink from a cup or attempt to talk over the phone. Her practice of imitating shows a significant emotional and social development. A 10-month-old baby is supposed to have developed preference for certain toys and objects (What to Expect, 2010).
The cognitive skills of a child who is in the 9-12 months milestone should be developed to a point where the child can do exploration with her own hands. This is actually achieved at an early age of 2 months (Melilo, 2010). The baby in this video demonstrates the cognitive skills of exploring her environment and following instructions as seen in her ability to find the red cup that was covered with a white towel. It is expected that a child who is in the 9-12 months milestone would like to make sounds by dropping objects on the surface (How Kids develop, 2010). It is however observable that the child in the video is lacking in this skill as she dropped objects only when instructed to. The child is also unable to bang objects together thus she is unable to recognize different sounds.
From the above observations, it is evident that the baby has well developed gross motor skills as expected for her milestone. In fact the baby is promising since she is able to make a few steps at the age of ten months yet walking can take up to 18 months. Her fine motor skills are also satisfactory with her language skills also being notable in her babbling with inflection. The social and emotional skills are somewhat developed but the baby is still lacking as she is does not use objects correctly (e.g. listening to receiver) while the cognitive skills are not satisfactory.
From the observations made on the developmental skills of this child, I perceive the baby’s environment and occupations to be somewhat satisfactory. It is evident that the baby has been able to enhance her motor skills (gross and fine). This therefore reflects that the baby has been provided with toys and parental attention that has enabled her to develop the skills. Since the baby’s cognitive skills are somewhat underdeveloped, it is likely that the baby has not been occupied with experiencing different environments and exposures. It is appreciable that the baby looks for hidden toys thus indicating a good cognitive skill but her curiosity of recognizing different sounds is not provoked hence the baby does not drop objects until she is asked to let go. Overall, the baby can be said to be well occupied and in a good environment that is encouraging overall development of the child.
References
Antoon, A. Y. and Tompkins, D. M. (2000). A parent’s quick reference to a baby’s health: birth to age five. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional.
How Kids develop. (2010). What is child development and what skills do children develop at different ages. Web.
Melilo, R. (2010). Disconnected kids: the groundbreaking brain balance program for children with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological disorders. London: Penguin.
What to Expect. (2010). Baby development month by month your 10-month-old child: standing and cruising. Web.