Children Who Have Atypical Patterns of Development. (n.d.). What is Typical Development? Atypical Development Examples in children 3-5 years old. Has speech that is unclear and does not talk in sentences. Has difficultly using simple toys (peg puzzles, handles, stacking toys). If they have a difficult time walking upstairs, or tends to fall down often. Cannot follow simple instructions. Does not make or had trouble making eye contact. Does not play pretend or not interested in playing with other children. As children grow and develop, they will get more defined in areas of physical, cognitive, and social growth. Typical development is the process that humans typically grow, these skills are measured through what are known as “milestones”. Milestones are a tool used to track this progression. Every child grows and develops at different rates. This tool is a generalization to help parents and caregivers be sure their child is on track for “normal or typical” growth and development. What is Atypical Development? Atypical development is when the usual pattern of growth or development is not followed or on track. We refer to this as atypical because it is not following the typical human pattern. When a child does not meet these milestones, it can be considered a delay. Children that have behavior that is outside what is expected with typical ranges of development may be showing delay and need to be further assessed. Preschool Parent Support for Atypical Development Children Ages 3-5 beading are great ways to build this fine motor strength. (Our approach,2020). Interventions that can provide supports for Atypical behaviors Promote Independence. Promote independence by prompting children to do daily tasks on their own. (Our approach,2020). Have good sleep strategies at night. Sleep is so important for good health and development. Healthy sleep, staying asleep most of the night, falling asleep quickly, waking up with ease in the morning. Consistent bedtimes, avoid sugar snacks, no high energy level activity before bedtime. This can all be helpful for sleep. (Our approach,2020). Have a schedule (visually presented) Printing out a daily schedule for your child with pictures and words and a moveable visual marker of where they are in their day and where they, and where they are going to be next. Front loading and a predictable schedule is very important. Practice fine motor skills at home Fine motor school are important for children the ages of 3-5. Fine motor skills are the small muscles in hand wrist and fingers, daily living activities use these muscles. Getting dressed, crafs, writing are some examples. Hand strength and coordination are important for these daily tasks. Some ideas would be play dough, squeeze balls, tweezer pick up, and Deep Breathing and learning calming techniques. Being able to calm down and selfregulate is an important skill and can be challenging for some children. Counting to 10 and using some deep breathing techniques can help calm. You can try different breaths like, buzz like bee using a buzz sound as you blow out. Roar like a lion, deep breath in and a roar on the way out. These can help your child focus on something and be able to help calm down when frustrated (Our approach,2020). Local Resources and Experts Pediatrician – See your pediatrician if you fee your child may have any atypical behavior or are not reaching developmental milestones. They will be able to do diagnostics and assessments and provide supports and guidance to the proper referrals. Teachers – Educators can be a great support and provide a lot of insight into your child’s behavior and progress. Teachers can help provide information to doctors or specialists. ABA therapy- Applied Behavior Analysis is a technique that uses systematic way to modify behaviors. It focuses on improving social skills, communication, and reading. Psychologist – Psychologist are trained to assess behaviors and can help provide diagnosis on disorders and applying appropriate therapy. School Districts- You can seek out your local school district for help in finding the appropriate school therapy. The schools offer many different options for support. Teachers, principals, therapist, psychologist and can be a very helpful resource.