Development for young children

Development for young children with Down syndrome, aged 1 to 5 years… (or from 18 months?)

Milestones / stages / support

Achievements at 5 years of age

Most children with Down syndrome can achieve a number of the same developmental goals at 5 years of age as other children. Most five-year-olds are walking, toilet trained, able to feed themselves and put on at least some of their own clothes.

Most 5-year-olds are able to be part of an age-appropriate group and can conform to the social expectations in the classroom. They are able to sit at a table, listen to the story and follow the teacher’s instruction - with some needing no help to do this and others needing some support. Most children can control their own behaviour and are not anti-social. They have appropriate understanding of the emotions of others, for example, when they are happy, sad or hurt.

Therefore motor skills, social progress and behaviour are strengths. However, most 5-year-olds with Down syndrome will have significant delays in spoken language - typically talking in 2 or 3-word phrases, and the words may be difficult to understand. Some children will have a knowledge of the maths concepts needed in the classroom, and be starting to count, despite general language delay. Some children will be reading a sight word vocabulary and know their letter names and sounds, despite having general language delay.