Infants and young children are learning about their environment and developing skills in many areas at the same time. Every child is unique and differences in their rate of development can be expected. One child may walk earlier than another or talk later than most children. There is no one measure to identify delays as growth and development are interactive and on-going. However, there are some guidelines to help parents and professionals to determine how a child compares with most children their age. It is important to remember that these are merely GUIDELINES. A childs development may be affected by many factors including illness, physical environment, genetic make-up, etc. A child may show a delay in one area followed by a growth spurt in the same area in later months.