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Does not try to get things that are in reach

Has difficulty getting things to mouth

Does not play any games involving back-and-forth play (e.g., peek-a-boo)

Does not seem to recognize familiar people

Does not look where you point

Does not transfer toys from one hand to another

Does not learn gestures like waving or shaking head

Loses skills they once had

Does not search for things they see you hide

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Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing

Finds hidden things easily

Looks at the right picture or thing when it is named

Copies gestures

Starts to use things correctly (like drinks from a cup, brushes hair)

Bangs two things together

Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container

Lets things go without help

Pokes with index (pointer) finger

Follows simple directions like "pick up the toy"

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Looks around at things nearby

Brings things to mouth

Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach

Begins to pass things from one hand to another

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Start to pay attention to faces

Start to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance

Start to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity does not change

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The Importance of Cognitive Development in Infants

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The Importance of Cognitive Development in Infants

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Cognitive Development in infants is important because it lays a foundation for a child's attention span, memory, as well as their ability to respond to experiences (interaction with the world. Cognitive development in infants means the way infants learn how to think, explore, etc.

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https://www.virtuallabschool.org/infant-toddler/cognitive-development/lesson-2

https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-cognitive-skills-620847
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/by-age/months-6.html
https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/baby/12-month-old-baby

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What are cognitive skills? Simply put, this form of development refers to one's abilities to gain meaning and knowledge from experience and information. Learn more about cognitive skills and the age-related milestones associated with them.

Why Cognition Is Complex

Cognition is more than just learning information. Instead, it's the ability to think about new information, process it and speak about it. In addition, cognition involves the application of this new information to other, previously acquired information.

As children mature, for example, they develop the ability to think on higher levels. They can process information more skillfully and make connections to other information more easily. In other words, their thinking skills get progressively better.

Children should be able to improve their ability to focus, to remember information and think more critically as they age. Cognitive skills allow children to understand the relationships between ideas, to grasp the process of cause and effect and to improve their analytical skills. All in all, cognitive skill development not only can benefit your child in the classroom but outside of class as well.

Understanding the relationship between cause and effect can prevent children from giving in to peer pressure and making poor choices. It can also help them realize that if they play video games instead of doing their homework, they will likely do poorly on the quiz they have in math class the next day.

Nature vs. Nurture

While research has found that genetics play a role in a child's cognitive skill development﻿﻿ , generally these skills can be taught through practice and training. A child, without a disorder such as ADHD, can learn to pay attention. That being said, while most preschool-aged children have short attention spans of about 15 minutes, the typical third-grader should be able to pay attention for a longer amount of time.

Children can be taught to focus on completing a task by removing distractions such as toys, TV or talking while trying to finish their homework.﻿﻿ Parents, teachers, and caregivers can help children develop cognitive skills by asking them questions about a story they read, a field trip they made or a project they completed. By questioning children about their experiences, adults motivate children to think, reflect and engage in critical thinking.

What Happens When Your Child Misses Cognitive Skill Milestones

Sometimes children fail to hit age-appropriate cognitive skill milestones. Since all children are different and meet milestones at their own pace, failing to meet the mark at a certain age doesn't necessarily mean a child has a learning disability. If you're concerned about your child's cognitive development, however, don't ignore the warning signs or your gut instincts. Speak to your child's teacher or pediatrician about your concerns.

They may decide to evaluate your child for learning disabilities if they agree with you that your child's cognitive development appears to be delayed. If your child does have a learning disability, it's important to seek help for him as soon as possible before the disability or disorder has the opportunity to stymie his academic advancement and create psychosocial problems.

Many children with learning disabilities go on to pursue higher education and lead fulfilling and productive lives. So, getting such youth the right help when they're still small can make all the difference.

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Cognitive Milestones Can Be Missed With Learning Disabilities

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At each age, your child reaches cognitive skill milestones. Learn what cognitive skills are and how to proceed if your child is lacking them in areas.