Child and Adolescent Development

* The baby turns its head towards light and stares at bright and shiny objects (1 month old)

At around 1 year, they may be starting to utter their first words ‘mama’ or ‘dada’. They will learn to put words together by the time they are 2 years of age and they may know up to 200 words. Between 2 and 3 they will start using plurals and negative. Their grammar may not always be correct. They could say ‘I throwed it’ and you could reply with ‘you threw it did you?’ This is a way of correcting what they are saying, without actually telling them that they are wrong and should say it this way.

The guide below explains what you might expect from the development of the child through various ages:

|Theory. |their second year they will start to walk and be able to |Social, emotional and behavioural development – Slower to |

Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years, to include: physical development, communication and intellectual development, social, emotional and behavioural development.

2.1 Describe with examples the kinds of influences that affect children and young people’s development including:

1. How can observation be used to identify speech, language and communication delays? 2. What should you do if you have concerns about a child’s development of speech, language and communication skills? 3. What would be the risks if these delays were not identified? Use your answers to help you

At this stage any activities will have an impact on their intellectual development as they become aware of the different activities they do.

When they see other children of similar age start teething or walking earlier than their own, the concerns about child’s health grows tremendously. Assurance from paediatrician or GP helps them understand that their child is growing at his/her pace. As physical developments are easily noticeable, parents/carer can raise concerns at proper stage. Identifying speech related issues is critical at young age. It can be mistaken as babbling or as baby talk which is common.

0-3 years From the stages between 0-3 year’s children are learning their reflexes, about people around them, how to play alongside others etc. During this stage it is very important that all children get every type development without any problems as this may cause harsh conditions for them in the future.

Between the age of six and eight years, a child goes through a lot of physical, motor, emotional and behavioral growth where different attitudes and values are developed. This age group is associated physical developments such as slower growth rates of about eight pounds and 2 and a half inches per year, more muscle growth and less fat development than in earlier years, and an increase in strength (National Childcare Accreditation Council, 2008).

Early childhood ranges from the ages of two to six years and this age range tend to hold a number of generalised physical, cognitive and socio-emotional developmental milestones. It is important for a clinician to understand developmental stages of children and communicate effectively with children within this specific age range to promote positive and successful appointments.

They now begin to walk if they have not already, and are exploring their surroundings more and more. During this year, children become more independent and even start to rebel against their parents by being defiant. In this time, toddlers are able to recognize themselves in the mirror as well as in pictures and videos. Setting a good example is important in this stage because children at this age like to copy and mimic everything that is done or said. At this point, children are able to say some words and phrases and have an understanding of many things and what is being said to them. This is the stage that is important to use gates and other proofing devices to prevent injuries. They try different things to see what kind of outcomes will come from doing so. Trial and error becomes a great problem solving strategy. Finally, from eighteen to 24 months of age, now trial and error is not necessary as they can think about and perceive events. At this age, communication is produced by gestures and small words. They learn to pretend (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).

Over the years people have come to discover a pattern of the way children develop from the ages of infancy (3-12 months) to Adolescent (13-18 years). Noticing normal behavior and physical growth along with abnormal behavior and delayed growth. Different psychologists such as Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Urie Bronfenbrenner, and Lev Vygotsky have come up with their own theories for normal child development.

The growth of the brain and body has been an important topic for psychologists for hundreds of years. Though ideas and discoveries have been made, there will always be certain mysteries when it comes to the human mind. However, many scientists have been able to detect several ways people grow throughout the lifespan. One of the most important stages of the human lifespan is the adolescence age range from twelve to twenty years old. During these years, teenagers begin to develop into who they are personally and discover the way their body works. Through the adolescent stage, humans go through several changes, thus causing them to develop physically, cognitively, socially, and personality wise.