Sequences of infant development

Infant development occurs across sensorimotor, cognitive, perceptual, visual, social-emotional and language domains. The process of development is highly complex and inter-related.

Sequence flow charts (which can be downloaded below) were developed to outline the major progressions in the development of performance components across:

• Motor sequences
• Sensory sequences
• Cognitive, fine-motor and play sequences
• Social-Emotional Sequences

These sequence flowcharts are designed to assist the novice therapist with understanding where the infant sits within a typical developmental pathway. The flow charts can act as a quick reference guide for determining where intervention should be pitched and can be used before and within sessions to determine if a child is consolidating an existing skill, transitioning between skills or developing skills in a new area. Play, cognitive and fine motor skills are included within one chart to encourage clinical reasoning and prioritisation of skills relevant to play.