Which milestone is typically achieved by 12 months?

• A. Walk with assistance
• B. Crawl on hands and knees
• C. Speak first words clearly
• D. Walk unaided

Answer: (A)

By about 12 months, infants are typically transitioning from crawling to standing and taking steps with support. Walking with assistance—holding onto a caregiver’s hand or a stable surface—reflects that milestone of gaining enough balance and leg strength to move forward while still needing help. Crawling on hands and knees usually appears earlier, around 6 to 10 months, so it’s not the characteristic milestone at 12 months. Language milestones like first words can occur around this time too, but the prompt is focused on motor development, and walking unaided is less consistently reached exactly at 12 months (it often occurs a bit later). So, walking with assistance best fits what is typically achieved by 12 months.