No longer a baby, but not quite a child, your 18-month-old exists in a delightful in-between that's filled with both frequent squeals of laughter and seemingly inexplicable tears. While his emotional lability can be exhausting, his joy at new experiences is something you won't want to miss. Your toddler's communication skills are improving and soon, you'll be able to have your first conversation with her, though you probably still won't understand much of what she says. And as he ventures further away from you at the park, you'll be able to stand back and marvel at how far he's come in such a short period of time.
To ensure your child is developing properly, your pediatrician will check for autism at the 18-month visit using a screening tool called the M-CHAT. Early screening helps doctors refer children who need additional evaluation or ancillary services to specialists in a timely manner. And while it's difficult to measure the degree to which interventions such as occupational or speech therapy may impact later childhood or even adult achievement, data does suggest that children who start kindergarten developmentally behind their peers will find it difficult or even impossible to catch up later. This is why being an active participant in your child's development at this age is so important.
By 18 months, your child is probably able to walk easily and even run with a smoother gait than at 15 months. At this point, the neural pathways that coordinate motor control and balance have become stronger and more refined, meaning your toddler can adapt to uneven surfaces without losing much speed. Children at this age can typically get down stairs safely, either by scooting or holding on to a railing, and going one stair at a time. But they do not yet have the strength or coordination to go down stairs with alternating feet, and they still need careful supervision. They should also be able to throw a ball, an act that takes considerable coordination of different muscle groups.
Your child can probably stack more blocks now than she could at 15 months — probably about four or possibly more. As she grows increasingly steady on her feet, she'll be able to create taller towers using larger blocks. She may also be able to help you undress her, though she'll likely need more time before she is ready to tackle snaps, buttons or zippers, and probably won't be ready to put on clothes until after she's 2.
Your toddler's ability to pay attention to and copy what an adult is showing them, combined with the fine motor control needed to hold a crayon in one fist, means he can start scribbling and even imitating simple movements on a page. He can likely draw in vague circular motions and an up and down line.
You'll likely notice your child's speech exploding around this time, too. She can probably say 10 to 25 individual words and may also use simple word combinations or phrases, such as "love you" or "clean up." Most children will not construct novel two-word phrases until they are closer to 2.
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