CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Genetics and the environment affect development. Genes are passed from parents to children and determine children’s growth and development potential. Children’s environment and the relationships that they form within and outside their families are important in the development process. Through contact with others, children gain skills.

All children pass through the same stages of development, however the rate at which they pass through will vary between children. Relationships within and outside the family should be encouraged to assist the developmental process.

As children grow they move from solitary play to cooperative play with other children. Peers become important and children have to learn to share, cooperate and solve conflicts.

Syntax – a system of rules that specify how words can be arranged into sentences.

-  children learn syntax at a rapid pace.

Milestones in language development

Moving towards producing words –

·  3 months old distinguishes phonemes form everyday language, including the one’s they are not familiar with. This ability disappears between 4 and 12 months.

·  7.5 months – recognises common words

·  8 months – first understanding of common words

0 cooing, crying, laughing 6 months babbling 10 – 13 months, word formation

·  Complex babbling resembles spoken words and continues to 18 months

·  Mamma, pappa, dada – easy to pronounce sounds

Using words –

·  3-50 words are spoken by 18 months

·  Can understand more than what they can say

·  Understand nouns before verbs – they are concrete things and can associate with them better

·  Have a vocabulary spurt at 18 – 24 months

·  Combine words and produce sentences by the end of the 2nd year

·  End of 3rd year – express complex ideas such as plural and past tense

·  4 – 5 years - Refine language skills

Basic principles of motor development

The progression of muscular coordination required for physical activity.

·  Head to foot direction of motor development - Children gain control of their upper body before their lower body

·  They also gain control of their torso before their extremities

·  Growth spurts tend to be accompanied by restlessness and irritability

·  Temperament is genetic and is well established by the time the infant is 2 – 3 months old

Emotional

·  Attachment is the close emotional bonds of affection that develop between infants and their caregivers.

·  The first attachment is usually the mother or primary caregiver.

·  The bonds are not instantaneous, usually at about 6-8 months, again preference fort he mother.

·  Separation anxiety – emotional distress observed in children when they are separated from people they have formed an attachment with. This usually emerges around 6-8 months and peaks at about 14-18 months.

·  Mothers who are more sensitive and responsive to an infant’s needs evoke more secure attachments.

·  Secure attachments have important consequences for children: resilient toddlers, competent, high self-esteem.

Culture

·  Rapid motor development has been observed in some cultures that provide special practice in basic motor skills. The similarities across the cultures in the sequence and timing of early development outweighs the differences. Children acquire specialised skills from their culture as they get older.

·  Separation anxiety - Universal feature

Personality

·  Personality develops in stages

Questions

1.  With more parents working, how would childcare affect attachment of babies? Evidence that childcare can have beneficial effects on social development, but those who receive >20 hrs/wk have an increased risk of developing insecure attachments to mothers.

2.  Smacking and reprimanding children?

3.  Adolescents – no boundaries, very strict parents

Exercises

p. 32, q. 1, 2, 3, 4.

p. 35, q. 1, 2, 3, 4.

p. 38, q. 1-8.

p. 41, q. 2, 3.

p. 43, q. 1-5, 8.


Type of development / Definition / Example
Physical / Involves the growth and maturation of the body, including weight, height, muscles, nerves, tissues and bones. / The growth of a child in the first 12 months of life is the period of most rapid growth.
Motor / The development of movement. Involves learning to control and co-ordinate a number of movements or actions.
Basic tasks become more complex / Head control, ability to use hands, roll over, crawl, sit, walk, self-feed.
Intellectual or cognitive / Involves the mind – learning to think, understand and reason. Children develop the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste through experimentation from birth. Children need to learn both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. / Babies’ putting objects into their mouths or feel them in order to recognise them.
Having to make a decision like a child deciding upon which toy to play with.
Social / Learning how to relate to others. Involves learning behaviour that is appropriate for different social settings and for social acceptance. Parents can help children learn self-control by imposing reasonable limits and being available when necessary to provide guidance. / Children playing and sharing their toys with others.
Using manners, going to the toilet, washing hands, etc.
Emotional / Children experience a range of emotions. As they develop, they learn to control their expression. / A child giving a hug, or throwing a tantrum.
Spiritual or cultural / Includes the development of a conscience, morals and values. The passing on of customs, beliefs, values and traditions. / A child learning a specific religious belief.
Gender roles and expectations.
Type of development / Definition / Example
Physical / Involves the growth and maturation of the body, including weight, height, muscles, nerves, tissues and bones.
Motor / The development of movement. Involves learning to control and co-ordinate a number of movements or actions.
Intellectual or cognitive / Involves the mind – learning to think, understand and reason. Children develop the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste through experimentation from birth. Children need to learn both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.
Social / Learning how to relate to others. Involves learning behaviour that is appropriate for different social settings and for social acceptance.
Emotional / Children experience a range of emotions. As they develop, they learn to control their expression.
Spiritual or cultural / Includes the development of a conscience, morals and values. The passing on of customs, beliefs, values and traditions.