Question

Difficulty: MediumDevelopmental Stages and Transitions

An 18-month-old toddler is brought to the pediatric outpatient clinic for a well-child checkup. The practical nurse is observing the child's behaviors while gathering initial data. Which of the following findings should the nurse recognize as expected developmental milestones? Select all that apply.

  1. Building a tower using three to four small blocksAnswer
  2. B
    Speaking in complete three-word sentences
  3. Walking independently across the examination roomAnswer
  4. D
    Engaging in cooperative play by sharing a toy building set with another child
  5. Pointing to named body parts such as the nose and eyesAnswer

Answer

The correct findings that demonstrate expected development for an 18-month-old are building a tower of three to four blocks, walking independently, and pointing to named body parts.
At 18 months of age, expected developmental achievements include gross motor skills like walking independently, fine motor skills such as building a tower of three to four blocks, and cognitive/receptive language skills like pointing to one or more body parts when requested. These specific findings indicate a normal progression through the toddler stage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the client's developmental age group and relevant milestones.
The client is an 18-month-old toddler. Expected milestones focus on early walking, basic fine motor stacking, and early receptive language.
Establishing the baseline age expectations is necessary to differentiate between normal development and delayed or advanced behaviors.
2
Evaluate the motor skill observations against expected 18-month milestones.
Walking independently and stacking three to four blocks are age-appropriate gross and fine motor skills for this age.
These specific actions confirm normal physical maturation for an 18-month-old.
3
Evaluate the psychosocial and language observations.
Pointing to named body parts is expected. Speaking in three-word sentences and cooperative play represent milestones of older children (3- to 4-year-olds).
Toddlers typically engage in parallel play and utilize single words or short two-word phrases, making the advanced social and language options incorrect.

Key Concept

Toddler Developmental Milestones (18 Months)
Rate this question