Babies start to develop relationships with the people around
them right from birth, but the process of learning to communicate, share, and
interact with others takes many years to develop.
Developing the ability to
control your emotions and behavior is also a long process. Children will
continue to develop their social-emotional skills well into their teenage
years, or even young adulthood.
The following are some of the typical developmental
milestones for children 9-12 months of age.
- Show happiness to see parents’ face, toys, or a mirror
- Can identify strangers vs. family, and cry when parent goes away
- Give affection and love
- Pay attention to simple commands such as "no" and "give it to me"
- Respond by turning to look when you call name
- Imitate some of your actions (i.e. waving, pretending to talk on the phone)
- Have fear with new situations
- Understand the word “no”, but will not always obey
Red Flags
- Not showing interest in other children their age
- Not respond to you the way you might expect
- Has extreme difficulty waiting for something they wants
- Is rigid about routine, food items, clothing, etc.
- Has limited or fleeting eye contact with others
- Does not imitate any of your actions
- Does not respond when you call name
- Does not take turns in a simple turn-taking game like chase or peek-a-boo
If you notice some of the following things by the time your
baby is 12 months old, you may want to talk to your doctor or to another health
professional such as a mental health clinician, a speech-language pathologist,
an occupational therapist or a psychologist.
