spectrum comparison

Developmental Milestone Continuum: Infant → Toddler → Preschool → School-Age

The NCLEX gives you an age and a behavior and asks: expected or referral? If you memorized milestones in silos, you'll second-guess every option. Knowing the progression — when each milestone appears and when its absence becomes a red flag — is the discrimination skill that separates correct answers from panic-guessing.

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Comparison

Progression4 stages

Progression — 4 stages

Infant (0–12 mo)
Erikson & Piaget stage
- Trust vs Mistrust
- Sensorimotor
Key milestones
- Sits 6 mo, walks ~12 mo
- social smile 2 mo
- Babbles 6 mo, 1–2 words 12 mo
- stranger anxiety 6–8 mo
Top safety concern
- Aspiration/choking on small objects
- SIDS — back to sleep
- falls
Red flag → refer
- ★No social smile by 3 mo
- Not sitting / no babbling by 9 mo
→
Toddler (1–3 yr)
Erikson & Piaget stage
- Autonomy vs Shame
- Senso then Preoperational
Key milestones
- Runs, climbs stairs
- parallel play, says 'no'
- 2-word phrases, ~50% intelligible
Top safety concern
- Poisoning, drowning, burns
- Falls from climbing
Red flag → refer
- ★No words by 18 mo
- no 2-word phrase by 24 mo
- Not walking by 18 mo
→
Preschool (3–5 yr)
Erikson & Piaget stage
- Initiative vs Guilt
- Preoperational
Key milestones
- Rides tricycle (3 yr)
- cooperative play, imaginary friends
- Full sentences, 100% intelligible
Top safety concern
- Drowning
- pedestrian injury
- Playground falls
- firearm access
Red flag → refer
- ★Unintelligible to strangers by 4 yr
- Can't copy circle (3 yr) or cross (4 yr)
→
School-Age (6–12 yr)
Erikson & Piaget stage
- Industry vs Inferiority
- Concrete Operational
Key milestones
- Ties shoes, rides bike (6–7 yr)
- team play with rules
- Reads independently
- complex grammar
Top safety concern
- Bicycle/sports injury
- drowning
- Firearms
- online/stranger safety
Red flag → refer
- ★Can't read simple words by 7 yr
- No peer friendships
- can't tie shoes by 7 yr