Question

Difficulty: EasyNormal Growth and Development

A pediatric clinic evaluates several children for routine well-child visits. Match each patient's age with the most appropriate cluster of expected developmental milestones.

  • 6 monthsSits momentarily without support, transfers objects hand-to-hand, babbles consonants
  • 9 monthsPulls to stand, utilizes a pincer grasp, develops stranger anxiety
  • 12 monthsStands well independently, uses 1 to 3 meaningful words, points to desired objects
  • 24 monthsRuns, kicks a ball, uses 2-word phrases, engages in parallel play

Answer

6 months matches sitting without support; 9 months matches pulling to stand; 12 months matches standing independently and first words; 24 months matches running and 2-word phrases.
Each age corresponds to a classic cluster of developmental milestones across gross motor, fine motor, language, and social domains. Six-month-olds sit and transfer objects. Nine-month-olds pull to stand and use a pincer grasp. Twelve-month-olds stand and say their first words. Twenty-four-month-olds run and use 2-word phrases.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate the gross motor milestones in each cluster.
Sitting (6 months), pulling to stand (9 months), standing well (12 months), and running (24 months) correlate chronologically.
Gross motor skills follow a predictable cephalocaudal progression that anchors the age estimate.
2
Verify the fine motor and language skills for each age.
Transferring objects (6 months), pincer grasp (9 months), pointing (12 months), and 2-word phrases (24 months) confirm the gross motor findings.
Matching multiple developmental domains ensures accuracy and prevents misclassification based on a single isolated skill.

Key Concept

Normal developmental milestones in the first two years of life
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