Okuzeka
Psychology vocabulary · Developmental Psychology

Developmental milestone

Meaning in psychology, with examples

nounCommon term

In psychology, developmental milestone means: A skill that most children reach within a typical age range, such as smiling, sitting, walking or saying first words, used to track development.

In Turkish: gelişim basamağı, gelişimsel kilometre taşı

How it is used

Used by developmental psychologists, paediatric teams and parents. Children reach, meet or miss developmental milestones; delays in several areas may lead to a developmental assessment. The normal age ranges are wide.

Example sentences

  1. His parents were worried because he had not reached the developmental milestone of walking by 18 months.

  2. Parents fill in a questionnaire about developmental milestones at each check-up.

Common collocations

  • reach a developmental milestone
  • language milestones
  • motor milestones
  • delayed milestones
  • object permanenceA baby's understanding that objects and people continue to exist even when they can no longer be seen, heard or touched.
  • adolescenceThe stage of development between childhood and adulthood, roughly from the start of puberty to the late teens or early twenties, with major physical, cognitive and social changes.
  • autism spectrum disorderA neurodevelopmental condition with lasting differences in social communication and interaction, together with restricted or repetitive behaviours, interests or sensory responses.
  • attachmentThe deep emotional bond between a child and a caregiver, and the pattern of relating to others that grows from it and can continue into adulthood.

More terms: Developmental Psychology

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