Child Protection Investigation Specialist (CPIS) Practice Exam

What developmental milestone might a child achieve by 4 months of age?

1. Walking alone

2. Smiling and recognizing a bottle or breast

3. Asking simple questions

4. Drawing a straight line

The correct answer is: Smiling and recognizing a bottle or breast

At 4 months of age, a child typically reaches several significant developmental milestones, including social and emotional growth. One key achievement is the ability to smile intentionally and show recognition of familiar faces and objects, such as a bottle or breast. This indicates that the child is developing social behaviors, emotional responses, and cognitive recognition. Smiling is often a child's first way of communicating and expressing joy or comfort. Recognizing familiar objects, like a bottle or a breast, demonstrates an understanding of their needs and the association of those objects with nourishment and care. This level of social engagement and recognition is developmentally appropriate for this age. Other milestones, such as walking alone, asking simple questions, or drawing a straight line, occur much later in a child’s development. Walking typically begins around 12 months, asking questions arises closer to 2 years, and drawing skills develop even later, generally starting around age 3 or 4. Therefore, the ability to smile and recognize familiar items is clearly a milestone achievable by 4 months old.