Foundations of Child Development

Unit#1
Concept of Development

 Development describes the growth of humans throughout the

lifespan, from conception to death.
 The scientific study of human development seeks to understand and
explain how and why people change throughout life.
 This includes all aspects of human growth, including physical,
emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual and personality
development.
 Development does not just involve the biological and physical aspects of
growth, but also the cognitive and social aspects associated with
development throughout life.
 The study of human development is important in a number of subjects,
including biology, anthropology, sociology, education, history and
psychology.
 However, most important are the practical applications of studying human
development. By better understanding how and why people change and
grow, one can apply this knowledge to helping people live upto their full
potential.
What is Child Development?

 The field of child development involves the scientific study of the

patterns of growth, change and stability that occurs from
conception through adolescence. It gives an understanding of how a
child is able to do complex things as he gets older.
 In order to study the growth, change and stability, child
development takes a scientific approach. Like members of other
scientific disciplines, researchers in child development test their
assumptions about the nature and course of human development by
applying scientific methods.
Principles of Development

 Child development focuses on humans. Although there are some

development who study the course of development in non-human
species the vast majority examine the growth and changes in
people. However, regardless of approach, all child develop
mentalists view development as a continuing process throughout
childhood and adolescence.
Principles of Development

 Development is Continuous:
 The process of growth and development continues from the
conception till the individual reaches maturity. Development of
both physical and mental traits continues gradually until these traits
reach their maximum growth. It goes on continuously throughout
life. Even after maturity has been attained, development does not
end.
Principles of Development

 Development is Gradual:
 It does not come all on a sudden. It is also cumulative in nature.

 Development is Sequential / Predictable pattern:

 Development is sequential or orderly. Every species, whether animal or
human, follows a pattern of development peculiar to it. This pattern in
general is the same for all individuals. The child crawls before he creeps,
stands before he walks and babbles before he talks.
Principles of Development

 Rate of Development Varies Person to Person:

 Rate of development is not uniform. Individuals differ in the rate of
growth and development. Boys and girls have different
development rates. Each part of the body has its own particular rate
of growth. There are periods of great intensity and equilibrium and
there are periods of imbalance.
Principles of Development

 Development occurs at Different Rates:

 There are slow, medium, and rapid rates of development depending
on the age and environmental influences.
 There is a Constant Interaction between All Factors of
Development:
 Development in one area is highly related to development in other
areas. For example, a child who has a good health can be active
socially and intellectually.
Periods of Development

 Think about what periods of development that you think a course

on Child Development would address. How many stages are on
your list? Perhaps you have three: infancy, childhood, and
teenagers. Develop mentalists (those that study development) break
this part of the life span into these five stages as follows:
 Prenatal Development (conception through birth)
 Infancy and Toddlerhood (birth through two years)
 Early Childhood (3 to 5 years)
 Middle Childhood (6 to 11 years)
 Adolescence (12 years to adulthood)
Prenatal Development

 Conception occurs and development begins. All of the major

structures of the body are forming and the health of the mother is of
primary concern. Understanding nutrition, teratogens (or
environmental factors that can lead to birth defects), and labor and
delivery are primary concerns.
Infancy and Toddlerhood

 The two years of life are ones of dramatic growth and change. A
newborn, with a keen sense of hearing but very poor vision is
transformed into a walking, talking toddler within a relatively short
period of time. Caregivers are also transformed from someone who
manages feeding and sleep schedules to a constantly moving guide
and safety inspector for a mobile, energetic child.
Early Childhood

 Early childhood is also referred to as the preschool years and consists of the
years which follow toddlerhood and precede formal schooling. As a three to
five-year-old, the child is busy learning language, is gaining a sense of self
and greater independence, and is beginning to learn the workings of the
physical world.
Early Childhood

 This knowledge does not come quickly, however, and preschoolers

may initially have interesting conceptions of size, time, space and
distance such as fearing that they may go down the drain if they sit
at the front of the bathtub or by demonstrating how long something
will take by holding out their two index fingers several inches
apart. A toddler’s fierce determination to do something may give
way to a four-year-old’s sense of guilt for action that brings the
disapproval of others.
Middle Childhood

 The ages of six through eleven comprise middle childhood and

much of what children experience at this age is connected to their
involvement in the early grades of school.
 Now the world becomes one of learning and testing new academic
skills and by assessing one’s abilities and accomplishments by
making comparisons between self and others. Schools compare
students and make these comparisons public through team sports,
test scores, and other forms of recognition.
Middle Childhood

 Growth rates slow down and children are able to refine their motor
skills at this point in life. And children begin to learn about social
relationships beyond the family through interaction with friends
and fellow students.
Adolescence

 Adolescence is a period of dramatic physical change marked by an

overall physical growth spurt and sexual maturation, known as
puberty. It is also a time of cognitive change as the adolescent
begins to think of new possibilities and to consider abstract
concepts such as love, fear, and freedom.
Issues in Development

 Nature and Nurture

Why are people the way they are? Are features such as height, weight,
personality, being diabetic, etc. the result of heredity or environmental
factors-or both? For decades, scholars have carried on the
"nature/nurture" debate. For any particular feature, those on the side
of Nature would argue that heredity plays the most important role in
bringing about that feature.
 Nature and Nurture
Those on the side of Nurture would argue that one's environment is
most significant in shaping the way we are. This debate continues in
all aspects of human development, and most scholars agree that there
is a constant interplay between the two forces. It is difficult to isolate
the root of any single behavior as a result solely of nature or nurture.
 Continuity versus Discontinuity
Is human development best characterized as a slow, gradual process, or is it
best viewed as one of more abrupt change? The answer to that question often
depends on which developmental theorist you ask and what topic is being
studied. The theories of Freud, Erikson, Piaget, and Kohlberg are called
stage theories. Stage theories or discontinuous development assume that
developmental change often occurs in distinct stages that are qualitatively
different from each other, and in a set, universal sequence. At each stage of
development, children and adults have different qualities and characteristics.
Continuity versus Discontinuity

 Continuity versus Discontinuity

Thus, stage theorists assume development is more discontinuous.
Others, such as the behaviorists, Vygotsky, and information processing
theorists, assume development is a more slow and gradual process
known as continuous development. For instance, they would see the
adult as not possessing new skills, but more advanced skills that were
already present in some form in the child. Brain development and
environmental experiences contribute to the acquisition of more
developed skills.
 Active versus Passive
 How much do you play a role in your own developmental path? Are
you at the notion of your genetic inheritance or the environment that
surrounds you? Some theorists see humans as playing a much more
active role in their own development. Piaget, for instance believed
that children actively explore their world and construct new ways of
thinking to explain the things they experience. In contrast, many
behaviorists view humans as being more passive in the developmental
process.
FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH
AND DEVELOPMENT

 1. Genetic:
Certain hereditary factors influences on the body formation. Tall
parents have tall offspring. Genetic & chromosomal disorder also
effect on growth & development of a baby. Different characteristics of
growth and development like intelligence, aptitudes, body structure,
height, weight, color of hair and eyes are highly influenced by
heredity. Sometimes it is not possible to prevent the genetic factors
but to take necessary care by early identification.
 2. Nutritional:
Nutritional deficiency considerably retards physical growth.
Malnourished mother produce babies with IUGR(Intrauterine growth
restriction). Over nutrition may cause obesity. So to control the
nutritional requirements of mother is necessary to have a healthy
child. This factor is neglected in our country, specially the poor
families can not afford to have a proper nutrition during pregnancy.
 2. Nutritional:
A balanced diet containing all the basic food principles such as
protein, vitamins, minerals etc. According to the World Health
Organization. Lack of proper nutrition can interfere with the
maturation of your child’s brain and body.
3 Sex:
Sex is a very important factor which influences human growth and
development. There is lot of difference in growth and development
between girls and boys. Physical growth of girls in teens is faster than
boys. Overall the body structure and growth of girls are different from
boys.
 4. Socio Economic Condition:
Poor socio-economic condition affects growth & development.
Sanitary conditions, various parasitic morbidity, poor housing,
stressful family condition, bad financial situation etc have a serious
effect on child growth and development. Children’s coming from
adequate finances are more likely to grow and develop to optimal
levels.
 5. Environment:
Physical, psychological, social and cultural environment affects
growth and development. Some of the environmental factors are:
housing conditions, community structure, urban or rural set up, family
size, pollution.
 6Chronic diseases:
Chronic untreated diseases of heart, lungs, liver etc impair growth and
development seriously. Growth Hormone Deficiency,
Hypothyroidism, Cushing’s Syndrome etc medical condition that
needs early attention.
 7. Emotional & cultural:
Trauma from unstable family, insecurity, sibling jealousy & loss of
parents has effect on growth & development.
 8. Intrauterine:
IUGR & maternal infections & diseases affect on growth &
development. Maternal diabetes may result in macrosomia causing
more than normal weight baby.
 9. Growth potentials:
The smaller the child at birth, the smaller he is likely to be in subsequent years.
The larger the child at birth, the larger he is likely to be in later years.
 10. Race:
Racial factors also influence height, weight, colour, features, and body
constitution of a human being. The body growth and development differences
show a relationship with varied cultural groups. For example a child of black
race can be black, their height, their hair and eye colour, facial structure are all
governed by the same race.
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