Developmental Milestone Timeline

  • Birth

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    Sensorimotor (Birth - 2 years)

    Stage of Cognitive Development
    Experiencing the world through senses and actions (looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping)
    Developmental phenomena: Object permanence, stranger anxiety
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    Trust v. Mistrust (Birth - 1 year)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    Learning whether to trust or not to based on whether or not their needs for things like food and comfort are met
  • Period: to

    Temperament Styles (Infancy and Childhood)

    Easy: Adaptable to new situations; predictability in their rhythmicity or schedule; positive in their mood Difficult: Intense in their reactions; not very adaptable to new situations; slightly negative mood; irregular body rhythms Slow-to-Warm-Up: Initially withdraw when approached, but later may “warm-up;” slow to adapt to new situations
  • Period: to

    Attachment Styles (Infancy: Ages can vary per individual)

    Secure: Children use parent as a secure base from which they explore their environment; become upset if parent leaves the room, but are glad to see the parent when the parent returns
    Insecure: Anxious-Ambivalent (tend not to use parent as a secure base (may often cling/refuse to leave parent); become upset when parent leaves and may often appear angry or become upset when parent returns and pushes caregiver way); Anxious/Avoidant (seek little contact with parent and are not concerned when left)
  • Period: to

    Preconventional Morality (before age 9)

    Lawrence Kkohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
    Morals based on rewards and punishments; want to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards
  • Raise Head to 45 Degrees (2 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Roll Over (2.8 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Sit with Support (4 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Sit without Support (5.5 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Pull Self to Standing Position (7.6 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Walking Holding on to Furniture (9.2 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Creep (10 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Stand Alone (11.5 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Walk (12.1 months)

    Physical and Motor Development
  • Period: to

    Autonomy v. Shame and Doubt (1 year - 3 years)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    Toddlers realize they can direct their own behavior (i.e. parent allowing child to pick out their own clothing)
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    Preoperational (2 years - 6/7 years)

    Stage of Cognitive Development
    Representing things with words and images; using intuitive rather than logical reasoning
    Developmental phenomena: Pretend play, egocentrism
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    Initiative v. Guilt (3 years - 5years)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    Children are developing imagination, and sharing. They have to learn to control their behavior and take responsibility.
  • Period: to

    Industry v. Inferiority (5 years - 12 years)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    Children try to learn new skills, obtain new knowledge
  • Period: to

    Concrete Operational (7 years - 11 years)

    Stage of Cognitive Development
    Thinking logically about concrete events; grasping concrete analogies and performing arithmetical operations
    Developmental phenomena: Conservation, mathematical transformations
  • Period: to

    Conventional Morality (most adolecents and adults)

    Lawrence Kkohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
    Morals governed by rules, laws, and parents
  • Period: to

    Formal Operational (12 years - Adulthood)

    Stage of Cognitive Development
    Abstract reasoning
    Developmental phenomena: Abstract logic, potential for mature moral reasoning
  • Puberty

    First menarche: About 12.5 years
    First spermarche: About 13.5 years
    Physical changes: Breasts, pubic hair, acne, body hair, voice change
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    Identity v. Role Confusion (Adolescence: 13 years - 18 years)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    Trying to learn who they are as a person (i.e. trying to decide what I want to do out of high school and college; who do I want to be as a person as I grow older)
  • Period: to

    Intimacy v. Isolation (Young Adult: 20s - Early 40s)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    Trying to form a close, committed relationship
  • Period: to

    Changes in Sensory Abilities (Adulthood)

    Visual sharpness diminishes, distance perception and adaptiom to changes in light level are less accurate, hearing diminishes, sense of smell declines, reaction time and stamina decrease
    Overall senses diminish
  • Period: to

    Cognitive Changes (Adulthood)

    Struggle to remember names, decline in recognition, time-based tasks are challenging, likely to remember meaningful information
    Crystallized: One’s accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age / Fluid: One’s ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood
    Dementia: Damage done to the brain, causing mental erosion (i.e. memory disorder, impaired reasoning) / Alzheimer's: Progressive mental deterioration (premature senility)
  • First Child

    Average age: Anywhere from 25-29 years (usually depends on marriage age)
  • Getting Married

    Male: 29 years
    Female: 27 years
  • Period: to

    Postconventional Morality (few reach this stage of moral development)

    Lawrence Kkohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
    Morals are based on your own personal moral code; actions are judged "right" because they flow from people's rights or from self-defined, basic ethical principles
  • Period: to

    Generativity v. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood: 40s - 60s)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    The challenge is to be creative, productive, and give back to the next generation
  • Period: to

    Physical Changes (Middle - Late Adulthood)

    Menopause (ending of menstruation and fertility), grey hair, hair loss, wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity
  • Midlife Transition (40 years)

    Discontentment or boredom with life or with the lifestyle (including people and things) that have provided fulfillment for a long time; feeling restless and wanting to do something different; questioning decisions one made earlier in their life (https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/mid-life)
  • Menopause (51 years)

    The end of menstraution (a woman no longer has her period)
  • Period: to

    Ego Integrity v. Despair (Late Adulthood: Late 60s and up)

    Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
    This person is trying to reach wisdom, tranquility, wholeness, and acceptance
  • Death

    Male: 68.5 years
    Female: 73.5 years