Ensuring your child is progressing developmentally is crucial for their overall well-being and future success. Early detection of delays allows for timely intervention, fostering skills in speech, motor functions, and social interactions. By monitoring their growth, you can help your child reach their full potential and navigate each developmental milestone with confidence. We expect to see the following milestones for children ages 54 to 60 months:
Cognitive
- Draws a person with six recognizable parts
- Matches number of items to correct numeral
- Recognizes a few printed words
- Can predict what will happen next
- Prints first name without a model
Communication
- Responds to questions involving time concepts (e.g., When do you eat dinner?”)
- Generates complex sentences
- Tells familiar stories without picture cues
- Can give at least three descriptive words that characterize an object
- Participates in group discussion
Social-Emotional
- Offers assistance to others
- Helps with group projects
- Says “excuse me” to interrupt politely
- Likes competitive games
- Responds with appropriate affect or action in social situations
Adaptive
- Selects clothing appropriate for temperature and occasion
- Makes own bed
- Toilets, wipes self, flushes toilet, and redresses independently
- Combs or brushes hair
- Brushes teeth without assistance
Physical Development
- Bounces and catches tennis ball (or ball of similar size)
- Colors within lines
- Can do at least three sit-ups
- Jumps sideways with feet together
- Cuts out a square
Notes:
Folio, M.R., & Fewell, R.R. (2000). Peabody developmental motor scales-Second edition. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Kipping, P., Gard, A., Gilman, L., & Gorman, J. (2012). Speech and language development (3rd ed.), Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Linder., T.W. (1993). Transdisciplinary play-based assessment. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Voress, J.K., & Maddox, T. (2013). Developmental assessment of young children-Second edition. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
