Running head: OBSERVATION OF EDWARD

Observation of Edward
Sarah Simons
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology
Loyola University Maryland
SP 207 Speech and Language Development
Professor Caesar
Fall, 2014

OBSERVATION OF EDWARD

From the time humans are conceived they are developing. During the first year of
development many major milestones are reached. Throughout the next six months many more
will be reached though people may not always think of certain tasks as milestones (Owens,
2012). After observing eighteen month old Edward it has become clear that he is developing
typically in the four main areas of motor, cognition, socialization, and communication. However,
it never hurts to begin prepping toddlers for the next stage of their development. Those who work
with toddlers, such as speech language pathologists, are able to offer suggestions to caregivers.
Then caregivers can learn to help their little human continue to grow as well as to improve upon
already occurring skills.
One motor milestone usually reached by eighteen month olds is the ability to smoothly
walk and stiffly run. Another skill is the ability to throw a ball with the whole arm and catch a
ball without falling (Owens, 2012). Edward was observed walking smoothly around his familys
living room. He was also seen running, a little awkwardly and stiffly, towards his parents when
he was bringing mom a pair of slippers. Edward was never observed playing with a ball but he
appeared to have good balance and motor control as demonstrated when he was working with
mom to dress himself. Balance and motor control are important tools used to catch and throw a
ball (as well as to do both without falling).
Cognition is a second area where milestones are reached. Children who are a year and a
half old are normally able to remember the location of where objects are usually found (Owens,
2012). Another skill involves being able to imitate adult object use (Owens, 2012). Edward
demonstrated his memory when mom told him to grab his shoes. He remembered that his shoes
were located near a shelf in another room next to the living room, retrieved them, and brought

OBSERVATION OF EDWARD

them to mom. He also remembered where his backpack was when he mentioned it and mom told
him to find it (even though she then said it was in the car on that particular day he walked over to
the spot where it would normally be). Edward also demonstrated his ability to imitate adults.
Mom showed him with her own hand where to hold onto his shirt so he could put his arm
through the hole. After she showed him a couple of times he was able to correctly hold the shirt
so he could finish putting it on.
Socialization is another aspect of human development that involves certain milestones.
Eighteen month olds typically enjoy solitary play, pretend to feed dolls, respond to praise and
scolding, and explore the reactions of others (Owens, 2012). Edward was not observed playing
so there are no comments to be made on his play skills. He was however, seen responding to his
mothers praise as she told him good job for doing things such as bringing her his shoes and
putting on his shirt. She smiled, spoke sweetly, and laughed. Edward responded by talking back
to her, smiling at her, and continuing to listen to her directions. He also responded by sitting on
her lap so he could be close to her because she was in a happy mood. Edward also explored the
reactions of others. For example, when his dad called his name he came over, stood in front of
dad, and stared at him (most likely wondering what dad wanted and what dad would say next).
When his parents told him to smile he gave a goofy smile with his eyes tightly shut and mom
responded by laughing and telling him that his facial expression was not a smile.
Out of all of the areas observed, Edwards communication was seen the most. Using twoword utterances (utterances being a unit of speech whether it be a word or a sound) is a major
milestone for toddlers that are a year and a half old (Owens, 2012). Having around a twenty
word vocabulary and playing question-answer with adults are also abilities they begin to develop

OBSERVATION OF EDWARD

(Owens, 2012). Edward most likely knows more than twenty words and if not, then he definitely
knows twenty words. He was very talkative and used many words during the observation. Also,
many of his utterances were one to two words and a couple were three words. Some utterances
from Edward included down, mama, shoo (shoes), cam cam (camera), and bagpack
(backpack). One utterance while putting his clothes on was I don wanna dwess, meaning I
dont want to dress. Edward was fairly hard to understand most of the time. His speech should
become clearer as he gets older because his fine oral motor skills will be more developed and he
will be able to produce more sounds (Owens, 2012).
One suggestion to help facilitate more speech with Edward is to continue talking to him.
Talking about the present, labeling objects, and using gestures will all help to increase his
vocabulary. Mom talking through her day is an excellent way to have the chance to label and
point things out (Nelson, 2014). For example, while at the grocery store pointing out different
foods is the perfect opportunity to teach Edward. Pointing out the sounds that can be heard
outside of the car (such as an ambulance) is another great opportunity (Nelson, 2014). It is
important to keep things simple yet avoiding using baby talk. Using full words and sentences
(even if they are short) will help his speech and language development a lot (Nelson, 2014). By
the time he is two mom and dad can expect him to be able to produce about 200 or 300 words.
While that sounds like a lot he will most likely reach the milestone as he is at the age where a
vocabulary spurt will occur (Owens, 2012).
Another skill many eighteen month old children have is the ability to follow directions
(Morrisset, 1994). Edward was excellent at following directions. A couple times he demonstrated
this when he put his pants on and retrieved his shoes. Ways to help him understand and develop

OBSERVATION OF EDWARD
the ability to follow longer directions includes continuing to ask him to help with simple tasks
(Morrisset, 1994). The next set of milestones will begin occurring around twenty one months
old. Around twenty one months old children begin to like rhyming games. Starting to read and
teach Edward simple songs and nursery rhymes will help him reach this next milestone
(Morrisset, 1994). Twenty one month olds also start using personal pronouns and I and begin
to try and tell people about their experiences. Encouraging Edward to talk to friends and family
about things such as a new toy he received is one way to help develop this skill (Morrisset,
1994). Also, reading childrens books will both help facilitate this ability and is a great way in
general to teach kids language.
After observing Edward it has become clear that he is developing at a normal pace and
seems to be right on target with quite a few milestones. There were many things that were not
observed (such a play or eating) so it is hard to say whether or not he is on track with milestone
associated with these areas. However, overall he seems to be doing well in terms of his motor,
cognitive, socialization, and communication skills. With patience, help, and love Edward should
be able to continue developing normally. It is important to keep in mind that all toddlers are
different and will grow at their own pace. If Edward ends up having difficulty reaching new
milestones or developing new skills there are plenty of speech-language pathologists out there
ready and willing to work with him.

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6
References

Morrisset, C. E. & Lines, P. (1994). Learning link: helping your baby learn to talk. ERIC, 93, 13. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED375984.
Nelson, A. (2014). Delayed speech and language development. Retrieved from
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/communication/not_talk.html#.
Owens, R. E. (2012). Language development: An introduction. (8). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.