What Are Developmental Milestones?
Growing up involves awareness of the child’s shifting growth and development milestones. Developmental milestones serve as indicators of a child’s progress and help establish what an individual can do at a certain age. Developmental milestones include simple abilities like taking your first steps, laughing for the first time, and waving. While every person develops at a unique pace, these stages provide a basic notion of the changes to anticipate as the child matures. Children’s developmental milestones follow predictable patterns, and subsequent skills depend on earlier ones. The milestone includes several developmental areas, which determine the typical activity or behavior for a specific age. They include physical, social, emotional, linguistic, and cognitive aspects of personal skills improvement.
Why Are They Important?
The milestones are essential because their monitoring helps to determine whether the child has acquired skills by the expected age. Children referred for early intervention are more likely to achieve developmental goals. Knowing when a child has failed a developmental milestone enables the parent to get more information and have her child screened, evaluated, and, if required, treated. The majority of child developmental delays are not severe. To help the child realize his full potential, early intervention is crucial if there is a more severe delay or a disability. Early diagnosis of delays enables referral to treatments. The teacher should also alert the parent and suggest they consult a pediatrician, developmental expert, or organization for guidance and information.
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) with Dyslexia
The typical development of 7-year-old children includes such markers as displaying a rapid improvement in cognitive capabilities and increasing the focus on friendships and collaboration. Additionally, children advance to more complicated activities by improving their motor skills. On the other hand, children with dyslexia and Specific Learning Disability (SLD) read aloud incorrectly or do not comprehend what is being read. They may not adhere to conversational patterns, such as taking turns, and may misinterpret numbers and mistake mathematical symbols.
Specially Designed Instruction for Students with SLD and Dyslexia
There are various instructions for students; the academic interventions include dividing work into manageable segments, providing oral and written instructions, and repeating directions. Allowing educational resources suitable for individuals, such as a tape recorder or computer with grammar checks, can help improve class performance (Stuart & Yates, 2018). For the organization of environmental support, the educator may extend the time frames for tests and give positive feedback (Grigorenko et al., 2020). Finally, extending the student’s time to complete assignments or take examinations is appropriate.
Intellectual Disability (ID)
The typical development includes such factors as engagement in numerous activities and remaining busy. At the same time, children with ID demonstrate difficulty understanding the effects of their actions and multitasking activities. The child’s memory and cognitive abilities advance in the typical pattern, and they can organize objects by size, shape, and color. However, students with ID experience deficiencies in the ability to reason, solve problems, plan, think abstractly and make decisions. Finally, the children usually demonstrate independent and critical reasoning in the social context. Individuals with ID exhibit a delay in the acquisition of sensory-motor behavior, and difficulty comprehending social conventions are also present.
Specially Designed Instruction for Students with ID
A student with an intellectual disability can succeed in school, but they will probably require the specialized assistance provided through special education and other related services. Promoting learning life skills like everyday coping mechanisms, interpersonal communication, and occupational awareness and exploration is one of the academic methodologies. Additionally, allowing the learner to complete each stage of a difficult task separately is appropriate in the future educator’s practice. In the environmental context, it is better to work with the student’s parents and other school personnel to create and implement an IEP tailored to the student’s needs (Strogilos et al., 2018). It may include using supplementary aids and services during classes.
Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD)
Children with emotional and behavioral disorders exhibit a pattern of disruptive behaviors and atypical emotions. The pattern of milestone development for emotional growth shows that many different types of emotions can be easily expressed at the age of 7. Children are receptive and sympathetic to the opinions and ideas of others. At the same time, empathy is evident in character. However, children with EBD can express excessive anxiousness or fear. The behavioral patterns include thoughtless mistakes or refusal to pay close attention to things. Additionally, aggression and feelings of unhappiness are frequent yet complicated behaviors common for EBD.
Specially Designed Instruction for Students with EBD
Academic practices that can be implemented for students with EBD are participation in group activities to promote cooperation and reduce bullying and aggressive behavior. A three-step decision-making process can help establish control over the attention focus. Rewarding positive behavior can be seen as a supporting method to encourage desired attitudes from students. At the same time, implementing strategies like a calm classroom and a brief period of relaxation for students with EBD will minimize stress (Mitchell et al., 2019). Additionally, it is appropriate to utilize the participation approach in group activities to promote cooperation and reduce bullying.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
It is typical for 7-year-old children to be able to comprehend more complicated instructions and express themselves adequately. They can exercise sharing and negotiating as examples of basic social skills and have a more in-depth and prolonged discussion. Children with ASD typically perceive sensory and cognitive processing differently, struggle with social contact, and have trouble interpreting the behavior of others. People with autism frequently experience anxiety when their routines or surroundings change. Additionally, the student may not enjoy social interactions or close personal contact. Comparative to anticipated linguistic milestones, the use of language is similarly restricted.
Specially Designed Instruction for Students with ASD
Academic approaches include realistic expectations, which entail considering the child and establishing individualized processes and standards based on the requirements of that specific learner.
Giving children simple options makes them feel involved and in control, and the educator can help to improve the performance and engagement of the student with ASD. Social skill development methods incorporate instruction, role-playing or practice, and feedback to aid students with ASD in learning and practicing communication, play, or social skills (Taylor et al., 2020). Some options include dimming the lights, tying hair back to prevent pulling, offering rewards, or using a sign to indicate the completion of a task.
For environmental peculiarities, it is common to implement support strategies for organizing materials, such as packing book bags, putting materials away, and cleaning workspaces. Remaining on task daily using social stories, prompts, and visual reminders. Finally, giving the student a noise-canceling headphone set, a weighted blanket, a bouncing seat, a fidget or other sensory device to play with, dimming the lights, playing soothing music, allowing them to utilize a sensory room or go to a quiet area in the classroom (Taylor et al., 2020). To promote regular activities and transitions, create distinct routines and habits. Whenever feasible, inform the student of any changes to the routine, the personnel, etc.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Typical development includes such factors as learning to incorporate additional activities into their motor learning. Begin creating opinions about people and becoming more conscious of their flaws and qualities. Children with TBI may experience one or more problems, such as headaches, exhaustion, or sensory abnormalities. Sudden mood shifts, anxiety, and depression are examples of social, behavioral, or mental problems. Children who have TBI may struggle to establish relationships with others. TBI patients may find it difficult to concentrate and only be able to focus for brief periods of time.
Specially Designed Instruction for Students with TBI
Concentrating on personalized training emphasizing vocabulary and word meanings is crucial for educating students with TBI. Additionally, there must be a focus on curricula that will enhance or assist with memorizing and education supporting the student’s active post-school life. Whenever possible, flashcards would be an efficient technique (Strogilos et al., 2018). Finally, the academic expectations must be adjusted patiently throughout the learning process to support the child’s progress. At the same time, environmental changes include letting the student take any required breaks to lessen distractions. Educators must continually communicate with the student’s parents and inform others about the student’s performance at both home and school.
Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
The cognitive capacities of students with orthopedic impairments are often comparable to those of students without disabilities. Children during typical development at the age of 7 can complete household tasks. At this age, they might have better balance and coordination. These abilities will make it easier for children to accomplish somersaults, spin and twist while standing, and other activities. They might have good hand-eye coordination as well. They can so y catch, maintain their balance on a beam, or join a team for a sport. Possess and express a high activity level. At the same time, children with OI have trouble speaking and expressing themselves; it is harder for them to perform daily tasks, and there are also present troubles with their motor abilities
Specially Designed Instruction for Students with OI
The environmental instructions are the primary focus for the students with OI. They include such modifications as wheelchair access, which must be provided at building entrances, doors, and aisles.
When a student that uses a wheelchair cannot ascend a staircase, an elevator or ramp is available and necessary to enter the facility (Strogilos et al., 2018). There should also be access to other resources, including restrooms and all school areas. The academic aspect includes such peculiarities as using computers is facilitated by assistive or adaptive technology for those with mobility issues. Students who struggle to write due to physical impairments can also benefit from software that recognizes speech, such as Dragon. Peer mediation can also be implemented as a technique whereby students collaborate with their peers to explain concepts they have acquired from the teacher.
References
Grigorenko, E. L., Compton, D. L., Fuchs, L. S., Wagner, R. K., Willcutt, E. G., & Fletcher, J. M. (2020). Understanding, educating, and supporting children with specific learning disabilities: 50 years of science and practice. American Psychologist, 75(1), 37–51. Web.
Mitchell, B. S., Kern, L., & Conroy, M. A. (2019). Supporting students with emotional or behavioral disorders: State of the field. Behavioral Disorders, 44(2), 70-84.
Strogilos, V., Avramidis, E., Voulagka, A., & Tragoulia, E. (2018). Differentiated instruction for students with disabilities in early childhood co-taught classrooms: types and quality of modifications. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1–19. Web.
Stuart, A. & Yates, A. (2018). Inclusive classroom strategies for raising the achievement of students with dyslexia. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 15(2), p. 100-104. Web.
Taylor, J. C., Rizzo, K. L., Hwang, J., & Hill, D. (2020). A review of research on science instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder. School Science and Mathematics, 120(2), 116-125.