The time frame in which a toddler is able to walk can vary greatly due to opportunity and culture. There is no need to worry yet that your child is not walking. There is definitely a time to worry, that time is not now, however. There are many things to consider regarding age and rate of development, not only for walking, but for other motor skills and cognitive functions as well. A growth chart is an excellent resource to verify normal and acceptable ages for development of different motor skills and also ages that indicate slow development or failure to thrive (Berger, 2016, p. 90). These charts work by using a system of percentiles. If your child falls into the 40th percentile for any given measurement that simply means that 60 percent of children rate higher and 40 percent of children rate lower.
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If your child falls into the 15th percentile that means that 85 percent of children rate higher on that measurement. A low percentile such as this may indicate a problem, especially if it is correlated with other abnormal percentile in a different measurement such as weight or height. Further indications of a problem would be jumping rapidly from one percentile to another, for instance, if your child fell from the 30th percentile to the 15th in a short period of time (Berger, 2016, p. 90). If either of those circumstances arise it would be wise to seek out the opinion of their pediatrician. It is also important to note that ranking in a high percentile in motor skills does not necessarily mean that the child is smarter, or in any way better than other children who rank lower on the chart. There are no indications that high percentile ranks determine or correlate to faster development or superior cognitive function later in
If your child falls into the 15th percentile that means that 85 percent of children rate higher on that measurement. A low percentile such as this may indicate a problem, especially if it is correlated with other abnormal percentile in a different measurement such as weight or height. Further indications of a problem would be jumping rapidly from one percentile to another, for instance, if your child fell from the 30th percentile to the 15th in a short period of time (Berger, 2016, p. 90). If either of those circumstances arise it would be wise to seek out the opinion of their pediatrician. It is also important to note that ranking in a high percentile in motor skills does not necessarily mean that the child is smarter, or in any way better than other children who rank lower on the chart. There are no indications that high percentile ranks determine or correlate to faster development or superior cognitive function later in