5 DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT

The first five years of

However, their
children’s lives are
development is not just
critical in their
measured by what they
development as they
can accomplish
reach numerous
physically.
milestones – from
sitting up, crawling
and walking in the first
year of their lives to
hopping and climbing
by the time they are 5
years old.
From birth to death, living
and learning go hand-in-
hand. However, nothing
quite compares to the first
few years of our lives,
when we first learn to
walk, talk, and interact with
other people and our
environments — as well as
process how these things
make us feel..
To determine eligibility for
early intervention, a child
will either receive a
qualifying diagnosis (such as
autism) or display a 25% or
greater delay in one or more
of the five domains of
development.
5 Domains Of
Development
1.PHYSICAL
2.COGNITIVE
3.COMMUNICATIVE
4.SOCIOEMOTIONAL5
.ADAPTIVE
Physical
This domain involves the senses (taste,
touch, sight, smell, hearing, and
proprioception — or bodily awareness of
one’s orientation in space), gross motor
skills (major movements involving large
muscles), and fine motor skills (involving
small muscles, particularly of the fingers
and hands). 
Humans develop physical ability directionally,
from top to bottom and the center outward. A
baby will at first have the ability to turn the
head and sit upright, before being able to
reach, grab, and eventually walk and run as
they progress into toddlerhood (2-3 years). All
the while child should be able to instinctively
respond and react to stimuli in his or her
physical environment. 
Cognitive
The cognitive domain of development
refers to the ability to mentally process
information — to think, reason, and
understand what’s happening around you.
Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget
divided cognitive development into four
distinct stages
1.During the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development (0-2
years), humans are essentially limited to perceiving the world
on a purely sensory level. And adult makes a funny face at you?
Laugh at what you see. Dangles a toy in front of you? Reach for
it.

2. By the time a child reaches the preoperational stage (2-6

years), he or she is beginning to incorporate language into his
or her analysis of people and surroundings. However, in most
cases, logical functioning isn’t quite there yet — the child may
yet have trouble “putting it all together.”
3. Prior to hitting puberty, a child should have arrived in
the concrete operational stage (7-11 years), where he or she can
process events and information at face value, but will still
generally not be able to accommodate abstracts or
hypotheticals.
 
4. Persons 12 years and up are said to be in the formal
operational stage, able to perform the intricate mental
gymnastics that make human beings so remarkable. Thinking
in the abstract — such as envisioning hypothetical scenarios,
forming strategies, and parsing through different viewpoints —
becomes a regular part of interfacing with one’s reality. 
Communicative

The ability to comprehend, utilize, and manipulate language

may be the single most powerful skill a person can develop. The
four aspects of language development are phonology (forming a
language’s constituent sounds into words), syntax (fitting those
words together into sentences according to language’s rules and
conventions), semantics (meaning and shades of meaning), and
pragmatics (how the language is applied in practical and
interpersonal communication). The maturation of verbal
communication skills can vary markedly between individuals
— but by two years, many toddlers are capable of at
least telegraphic speech, simple sentences communicating the
essence of a want or need.
Socioemotional

To truly thrive, we must learn to exist peacefully within

ourselves and coexist with others. As a child develops
within the socioemotional dimension, he or she learns
how to successfully regulate his or her own internal
emotional state and read the social cues of others.
Strong emotions can be controlled or expressed
properly; confrontation can be managed without
violence; we can evolve empathy toward others.
•By 6 months, a baby should be reacting to facial
expressions and reciprocating. 
•By a year, clear preferences in terms of likes and
dislikes should begin to surface — as well as recognition
of the familiar versus the unfamiliar. 
•By two years, a child should be engaging in parallel
play with his or her peers. Each child may be involved
in a separate activity, but they are interested in each
other’s activities and comfortable in each other’s
company.
•By three years, the awareness of self should have
begun to form, and an ability to express feelings. 
•By four years, the child should be able to cooperate
with others, abide by simple rules, and manage
emotions without tantrums or aggression. 
Adaptive
Adaptive development refers to the self-care
component of growing up, taking care of things
like eating, drinking, toileting, bathing and
getting dressed independently. It also entails
being aware of one’s environment and any
hazards it may pose, keeping oneself safe and
protected. A child should have made significant
progress in these areas before his or her fourth
birthday