5 Stages Of Child Development : 5 Stages Of Human Development

| 0-3 Months: * Tries to lift head. * Begins to hold objects when placed in hand.3-9 Months: * Establishes head control * Begins to sit with support from about 6 months un-supported.9-18 Months: * Is now very mobile e.g. crawls, bottom-shuffles, cruises, walks.18 Months - 2 Years: * Walks well and tries to run but has difficulty stopping.2-3 Years: * Kicks a ball, learns to jump and may learn to somersault.

Today’s child development system, in many ways, has been heavily influenced by the work of Jean Piaget. We can observe the use of his ideas in a wide range of facilities and environments. Infant’s abilities vary incredibly between birth to two years. These differences can be found even in the period of a month. Piaget was intrigued by these differences; therefore, he used his vast knowledge on children to divide development into six stages known as Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage. Throughout his observations he used children that he spent a large amount of time with, his very own children.

A teen brain is undergoing vital and significant developments. Different components of the brain are becoming more interconnected which allows for more communication between neurons and parts of the brain which each carry out specialized functions. The strengthening of the connections is responsible for learning and cognition. The two parts of the brain that grow most during adolescence and early adulthood are the limbic system and the pre frontal cortex. The limbic system is responsible for the drive of emotions and the pre frontal cortex is

Young children need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver in order for their social and emotional development to occur normally. Without this attachment, they will suffer serious psychological and social impairment. During the first two years, how the parents or caregivers respond to their infants, particularly during times of distress, establishes the types of patterns of attachment their children form. These patterns will go on to guide the child’s feelings, thoughts and expectations as an adult in future

The prefrontal cortex which is the center for planning, reasoning, thinking of the consequences of our own actions, and self-control, is not fully developed during teenage years which explains the tendency towards risk taking and impulsiveness. The limbic and paralimbic areas are particularly responsive to emotional and social stimuli and seem to have an increased activity during adolescence. The same study states that the limbic system is not always hypersensitive during adolescence but “in the presence of peers or under conditions of emotional arousal, however, the socioemotional network becomes sufficiently activated to diminish the regulatory effectiveness of the cognitive-control network” (Steinberg,

Researchers have replicated Ainworths and Wittig’s (1969) Strange Situation experiment, using the results for further research. Kochanski (2001) investigated development in children with differing attachments through a longitudinal study. During ages 9 to 33 months, the bond between infant and caregiver clearly impacted on the infants’ emotional development. 54% of infants were initially found to have a secure attachment with their primary caregiver, and were very distressed during separation. However, at 33 months emotions were calmer, and became less angry. Conversely, 46% of the infants were described as insecurely attached. Both resistant and avoidant were most fearful and least joyful. Further, negative emotions increased by age 33 months. 2% of infants where unclassifiable as they became increasingly angry as more negative emotions developed.

According to Groh, the central necessity for an infant is an emotional bonding process called attachment. The Attachment Theory suggests that “infants develop expectations regarding the availability and responsiveness of their primary caregiver,” (Groh, 2014) based on the past experiences the child has had with said caregiver. This is crucial because it becomes the core model of relationships in the child’s life (Groh, 2014). This means that as the child grows, they will base other relationships off this primary one which can lead to two different types of attachment depending on how well the mother or caregiver responds. The ability of the caregiver to respond well is dependent on a few factors including their own mental health.

As the child is now mobile we can see the attachment. The child will begin to use the caregiver as a safe base from which to explore. Only when a separation is continued for a period of time, a baby’s reaction will turn from upset to angry. Bowlby, 1973, 1980, called this the ‘protest’ stage. Next, a child will become slightly depressed (the despair stage) until eventually seeming to overcome the separation and becoming responsive again. (the stage of detachment) this was not necessarily a recovery, but possibly a repression of feelings towards the caregiver. Many factors in a separation seem to come into play when determining the fate of the child’s wellbeing going into adulthood after detachment. A lack of appropriate attachment forming in a child can lead to ‘reactive attachment disorder’.

The importance of human interaction from caregivers to infants has straight out some detailed evidence which demonstrates that from time of birth, human interaction is vital for a healthy psychological development. Absorbing all social interaction is the natural instinct for an infant. When there is a safe environment secure attachment is on and social interaction needs are met. During that period of life, human interaction between caregivers and infant is imperative for that infant’s psychological development pattern. That is essential for an infant survival. Social interaction integrates leverage skills and emotional attachment. If there is a lack in that phase, it can cause failure to attach as well as adaptive behaviors leading to developmental obstructions.

Which are proximity maintenance, safe haven, secure base and distress at separation. The first stage is proximity maintenance, where infants desire to be close to their caregiver with whom they share an attachment. Because of this, infants endeavour to be near their caregiver as possible since they enjoy their company. Also, attachments create a safe haven, where infants depend on their attachment figures for care and comfort when feeling threaten or in distress. They cry when they don’t like something and stops crying when they have what they want. However, attachment figures also provide a secure base for discovery. This is very necessary during childhood. This stage provides infants with the avenue to explore and learn by themselves whiles knowing they can return to attachment figures for safety. Lastly, infants experience separation distress when separated from their attachment figure. For example, infants (kids) become upset and cry when their mothers leave to work.

There are many areas in which an individual must develop to reach a mature level of adulthood. Several theories and ideas have been created in an attempt to describe the process that in which the individual passes to reach the desired levels of maturity. A few of those theories will be addressed in better understanding the development of Precious on a psychological and social plane. It can be assumed from observing Precious that she has been biologically developing normal as she is experiencing growth and hormonal changes and dealing with acne and obesity.

In adolescence, brain development is characterized by dramatic changes to the brain’s structure, neuron connectivity (i.e., “wiring”) and physiology. These changes in the brain affect everything from emerging sexuality to emotionality and judgment.

1 = Ability to kick a ball and have more legible handwriting. Ability to count and do simple sums. Can

Attachment is the method through which people acquire specific positive and close emotional bonds with others. In mature relationships, people may be equal attachment figures. However, this is not the case in a relationship between the child and parent. The child-parent attachment is a tie based on a need for safety, security and protection, paramount during infancy and childhood when the developing individual is undeveloped and weak. As a result, infants unconsciously attach to their caregivers. This paper will further discuss the importance of early emotional attachment in development as well as progressive concepts and empirical foundations.

Attachment theory concentrates on the relationships between parents and children or parents and primary caregivers. According John Bowlby, the author of attachment theory, attachment is inborn and is as essential for survival as food, water, and air; it is an emotional, object specific relationship that develops towards a primary caregiver (Bowlby, 1969). Through series of experiments Bowlby explained the nature and the role of physical proximity of a child to a caregiver as a secure base for exploration of the world (Bowlby, 1969). He concluded that it is essential for a child’s healthy development to have at least one caregiver who takes on a role of that secure base, which Bowlby also referred to as secure haven (Bowlby, 1969). Bowlby identified three main stages of the development of an attachment. During each of the stages a child exhibits different types of proximity-seeking behaviors (Bowlby, 1969). In turn, a parent responds to those behaviors and the quality of those responses contribute into the development of internal working models in a child (Bowlby, 1969). As defined by Bowlby (1969), internal working model is a dynamic process that enables a child to predict parental responses in times of distress. The critical period for developing internal working models is between 6 months and 2 years of old (Bowlby, 1969). Bowlby proposed that if during this critical period a parent was responsive to the child’s needs and provided a secure base for a child, the child would