A pediatric resident is preparing for a developmental assessment clinic. The attending physician asks the resident to review the expected chronological progression of fine motor and adaptive skills in healthy children. Arrange the following developmental milestones in the correct chronological order from earliest to latest typical age of acquisition.
- 1Uses a raking grasp to pick up a small object
- 2Uses the pads of the thumb and index finger to pick up an object
- 3Spontaneously scribbles with a crayon
- 4Builds a tower of exactly four cubes
- 5Turns book pages one at a time
Answer
The correct sequence from earliest to latest is: Raking grasp (6 months), immature pincer grasp (9 months), spontaneous scribbling (15 months), building a 4-cube tower (18 months), and turning book pages one at a time (24 months).
Fine motor development follows a predictable progression from gross to highly isolated movements. At 6 months, infants use a raking grasp. By 9 months, this refines into an immature pincer grasp (using the pads of the thumb and index finger). At 15 months, toddlers can spontaneously scribble. By 18 months, release control improves, allowing them to build a tower of four cubes. At 24 months, digit isolation is advanced enough to turn book pages one at a time.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Chronological progression of fine motor and adaptive developmental milestones in infants and toddlers.