Assessing Toddler Thought Through Play - Special Needs
The First Step in Planning for the Integration of Toddlers
With Special Needs - - Learning How Toddlers Think
12 – 14 Months
Actions On Objects / Manipulations
Points and babbles “da”, “tha”
shakes, grabs, inserts, holds on, let’s go, picks, pats, hides, finds,
stacks, unstacks, twirls, drops, gazes, pushes, raises, lowers, rolls, squeezes, scribbles in the air
spits, stuffs, sucks, mouths, screams
Ideas and Thoughts
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I believe exactly what I see.
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I reinvent objects each time they appear.
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I see objects as “new” each time.
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I have a constant image of a disappearing object, if I see it disappear.
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I make mental images that are sensory – visual with auditory / tactile, etc
14 – 16 Months
Actions On Objects / Manipulations
Points and “talks”, throws, pushes, pulls, corrals, drags, crushes, retrieves,
goes backward then forward, drops, throws over shoulder, tugs, lifts, lowers, hits, pokes, bats
Ideas and Thoughts
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I see objects as part of me, an extension of myself, attached to me.
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I think about two objects at one time, jointly.
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I search for and find objects in my mind as well as actually looking for them.
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I think of locating objects even if hidden from my view.
16 – 18 Months
Actions On Objects / Manipulations
Grabs hand to lead, raises hands, tugs, hands off, retrieves, sweeps off, stacks up, unstacks, takes off, comes back, hides, finds,
pretends to sleep, feed “baby”, read a book, pretends to talk on phone, sings a song, dances, knocks down, gets up
16 – 18 Months
Ideas and Thoughts
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I give objects away expecting them to come right back.
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I find objects’ parts and move them.
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I point, gesture, and name objects and find hidden objects whether I see them disappear or not.
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I pretend with real, unambiguous objects.
18-20 Months
Actions On Objects / Manipulations
Scribbles, stirs, dumps, pours, picks, spreads palms up, grabs, stacks, fingers release objects, does puzzles, sorts toys in similar groups,
substitutes banana for phone, sticks for spoons, takes doll to “feed”, echoes words and phrases
Ideas and Thoughts
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I use hand-size tools to draw lines, circles, and marks.
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I can “displace” objects in my mind, moving them along an imaginary path.
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I use words instead of pointing. I substitute words for actions.
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I see contours and edges of objects so I can “fit” objects together in my mind and with my hands.
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I imitate what I see; I can switch or exchange objects in my mind.
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I can “exchange” ideas in my mind.
20 – 24 Months
Actions On Objects / Manipulations
Tips, leans, staggers, shakes, wiggles, balances,
uses whole arm for support, uses whole hand for grasp,
waves bye-bye, say “bye-Daddy”,
mixes, matches objects, hits, pushes, knocks down, drags objects behind, alongside,
holds several objects at once
Ideas and Thoughts
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I replace actions with combinations of words for actions.
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I substitute mom/me objects interchangeably.
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I can imagine ambiguous functional uses for objects.
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I can make objects change in my mind, spatially and temporally.
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I group and sort objects according to size, shape, and color.
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I show feelings for objects I am thinking about.
24 – 28 Months
Actions On Objects / Manipulations
Winds up mechanical toys, opens, closes, locks, unlocks, washes, dries,
folds, unfolds, builds, unbuilds,
uses spoons, forks, crayons, brushes, handles, knobs,
runs, teases, screams, falls, gets up, smells, throws,
covers up, hits others, refuses, says “no”, runs away, goes toward,
bites, kicks, turns round-n-round
Ideas and Thoughts
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I use familiar objects, combine them together, varying actions.
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I can understand uses for objects by specific parts, but not the whole.
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I represent objects in my mind according to my idea of what to do with the objects, varying the actions to fit what I want to do.
