Developmental tools come in a variety of materials, and each can aid
in establishing lifelong social, cognitive, mobility, speech and
language skills. But, for children with special needs, such as Down
syndrome, the tools used will become even more important, because those
skills may be more difficult to attain due to learning and/or cognitive
developmental issues. Knowing what tools during the right developmental
period will be very important, but also realizing your child's needs
will vary dependent upon your child and their level of disability.
Like
all children, with or without special needs, each child learns and
develops differently, so a guideline is given, but only to give an idea
of typical developmental stages. Your child may stay within the
guidelines longer or excel beyond them sooner than other children. Your
professional team, occupational and speech therapists can help you
establish the best tools and practices for the right developmental
stages of your child.
From birth throughout the first year,
children's senses are being developed. Initially (0-3 months) hearing
and visual stimulation, through soft music, the family's voices, and/or
black and white objects are best. The child will seek out the source of
sound and movement, helping to build muscle tone in the head, neck, and
upper body. For children with Down syndrome, this is extremely
important, due to hypotonia (lack of muscle tone) which is
characteristic of this genetic disorder.
From 3-7 months, colors
will begin to stimulate, and touch, smell and taste will become
instrumental, as the child begins to put items in their mouths. Items
such as teething rings will also help in fine motor skills, such as
grasping, while activity quilts can help develop vision, auditory,
mobility and motor skills, as they listen, look, grab, stretch and reach
for items within their range.
Generally, at 8-12 months, hand and
eye coordination becomes the next stage, as children begin exploring
the world around them. Crawling, shaking toys, sorting shapes, sucking
and chewing on everything (make sure everything is baby safe!), pop up
toys, as well as bath toys all become useful tools for building muscle
and mobility while initiating interest in the world around them and
helping to promote language skills.
Language and social skills
begin developing from 6 months to approximately 3 years. Language can
become more developed by playing and interacting with other children.
Social skills, such as sharing, cooperating, turn taking, and role
playing are being introduced. Physical and fine motor skills (playing
catch, throwing balls, riding tricycles, running, etc) as well as
learning to problem solve and understand the relationship between cause
and effect are also being internalized. Blocks, board games, lacing and
or sorting toys, math items, such as toy clocks and numbers, music, and
puzzles are all excellent tools for this stage in your child's
development.
As your child reaches pre-school age, their gross and
fine motor skills, self-esteem, listening and social skills, or lack
thereof, will become more apparent. Building upon them will be crucial,
and encouraging social interaction with board games, puppets, dressing
up, etc. can help promote positive interaction, language, social skills
and the important self-esteem that is necessary for your child to move
smoothly through and into their next stage.
