For parents, there are few things more joyful than watching your child develop, watching them learn. In the first two years, everything usually happens so fast that there’s a near constant steam of magical moments. Learning to feed, first smiles, learning to eat, repeating sounds, first words, learning to walk, playing games, enjoying books, even learning to make demands and manipulate parents.

Your baby’s brain is capable of learning so fast at this stage in life. It’s actually developing faster than it ever will again. When babies play, they’re building an understanding of the world.

When you connect or bond with your baby or toddler, you’re creating trust and a safe environment for this supercharged period of cognitive development. Cooing, eye contact, singing, talking, hugging, holding and smiling — It’s great that the things that come naturally to many parents are also beneficial to brain development and cognition.

Cognitive development refers to the way your baby learns to think, remember, imagine, gather and organise information, solve problems and develop judgment.

For some parents, and especially parents who are aware their baby has a brain injury, it’s only natural to be on high alert for cognitive delays. Benchmarks vary for all children, but if your baby is struggling to develop a skill, it may be time to speak to a professional.

Most commonly with cognitive development, parents worry about toddlers who are struggling with vocalisation, and making the transition from sounds to words. Information on communication and learning benchmarks is available in the links below.

It’s important to note that many children who struggle to talk because of cerebral palsy, are struggling with the muscle coordination of forming words. It’s very possible that this toddler will still learn to speak, it just may take longer.

A delay in learning to talk, or to develop any other skill, is not always an indication of impaired cognition. There are many people with cerebral palsy, children and adults, who may not be verbal, or have difficulty speaking, but have no cognitive delay or intellectual disability.

The job for parents is to provide the safe and trusting environment, to continue to cuddle and communicate.

The information below may assist you in understanding some of the expected responses and behaviours of your child, as well as providing you with enjoyable interactive activities to assist your baby and toddler with learning.

If you are concerned about your baby’s development, please talk to your GP, child and family health nurse, or paediatrician.

Your medical and allied health professional team will be able to customise a therapeutic program to benefit and support your baby or toddler’s individual development.

In this section you will find more information related to cognition and learning and relevant therapies and interventions.