Development Task 2 Theorists, Cache Level 3 Cyp 3.1

Children and young people often experience many things which have a direct impact on their development; things such as their family environment and structure, personality, hospital visits, childcare arrangements, and culture.

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

Each child follows a similar pattern, but each child can vary in their development and reach milestones at different times in their development. This is called the Holistic Process.

During pregnancy that are existing factors that can affect the development of the foetus and that can bring health and other problems when the child is born, which the child can carry for the rest of her/his life, these

Each child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual and language development will be looked at through age stages. All of these categories are as important as each other and can each have a substantial impact on the child’s full adult potential.

If for example a child has not attended a nursery or play group in their early years this can often set them back from what development stage they should be at when attending school. This could be the lack of nursery places, not good enough teachers to the child having a learning disability that has not been identified yet.

If a child is in poor health then this will have an impact on their development. For example, a child with uncontrolled asthma or cystic fibrosis may not be able to run around and be as active as their peers. Therefore, this would mean that his physical development might not be the same. Not being able to play outside would almost certainly affect the social development, as children make many friendships on the playground and at after school clubs.

However, it is important to observe and note the difference between sequence of development and rate of development, when working with children so that the child’s needs are met. For instance if a child shows delays in any aspect of their growth, taking into account their background, health and environment in which they are growing up, as these factors will affect all areas of development. Tassani et al (2010) states that the difference between sequence of development and rate of development helps identify child’s needs during their stages of their school years. This will help the school to plan and ensure that the child has enough support they require in areas they are struggling with. It is important to be aware of each child’s development as this will give us the knowledge and understanding on how a child is developing so that any concerns or problems are easily spotted , and then investigated and offer the required support. For instance a child with language problems can then be referred to a speech therapist who would then work with the school to implement ways or skills that will help the child. If they

If a practitioner see that the child is struggling with certain things, there could be an influence on other areas of development, because as we know each area of development are connected, and practitioner can use special screening programmes what can help the to pick up any areas of difficulty that child maybe suffering.

If you fail to take note and report any concerns of child development the child or young person’s development could be affected in various areas.

9. Consider the stage of development of children as every child learn and develop at different stage.

There are many factors that influence a child/young persons development such as health issues, personal characteristics, motivation to learn, behaviour, sensory impairment, disability and learning difficulties. Even before birth a child needs to reach many milestones and however small or large they can cause a delay in a child’s development and in many cases are completely out of the child’s or parents control. Faulty genetics for example is a factor that is completely out of our control.

There are many different theories of development that help us to understand children’s behaviour, reactions and ways of learning. All equally important as they influence practice. To begin with there is Piaget’s constructivist theories which look at the way in which children seem to be able to make sense of their world as a result of their experiences and how they are active learners. He also suggested that as children develop so does their thinking. Piaget’s work has influenced early years settings into providing more hands on and relevant tasks for children and young people. In other words the children are ‘learning through play’. Teachers are working out the needs of children and plan activities accordingly.

There are different things that can affect a child’s development in their background these are just a few of them: -

Two theories that I would like to focus on that I believe have had the biggest impact in my life are, Erikson’s eight stages of development and Vygotsky’s theory on cognitive development. Erikson’s theory is based off of 8 stages ranging from ages “zero” (birth); where we learn to either trust our caregiver(s) or we develop mistrust where we may become suspicious or anxious. Up until death, where we end with integrity vs. despair; where we either we either fully accept what you have done with your life, or regret and look down upon oneself. Vygotsy’s theory is one that is based more on socialization and interactions that greatly impact a child, into adulthood. The overall difference between Vygotsky and Piaget is that a person’s social environment holds a major impact on ones cognitive development.