Factors That Affect Child Development

* Health Status - Asthma can effect physical development as the child may not push themselves to their physical peak.

A description of the social, economical and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of children and young people.

There are many factors that can influence a child and young person’s development, particularly in relation to their background. The formative years can be termed as crucial in regards to development and any major setback can create many problems for the future.

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.

Other factors that can affect a child’s development can include genetic problems passed on by a parent, mental or physical disabilities, poor living conditions causing illness such as asthma, learning difficulties, autism, dyspraxia, aspergers, poor communication skills due to sensory impairment such as deafness, blindness, partially sighted.

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.

Socially and Emotionally the family is a big influence in a child’s development. Parents have a big role by providing care and guidance for their development. Unfortunately some families cannot promote the development of a child because of the conflict among the parents. A single parent can have difficulties in boosting a better development in children and young people, sometimes a child is separated from its siblings and this can affect them too.

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

I remember that he could go everywhere alone, and I couldn't, I was spending more time at home, reading, as a result I love learning new things, I love studying – this definitely had impact on my intellectual and social development, I had some problems making friends, I was lucky my problems finished when I started studies and moved to my Grandma, but what could happen if I didn't have another place to go? A teenager like me could then isolate himself at home, becoming smarter and smarter on computers, internet, he could become a hacker and was arrested, transferred to prison,which would affect his social and emotional development very much.

The area a child grows up in has an effect, for example if a child is brought up on a council estate in poor housing they are more likely to have health problems. If parents are not working or have low income jobs they are likely to buy cheaper food and usually this means lower quality which can lead to health problems. Children and their families may have lower expectations. They might settle for the life that id mapped out. If a child lives in high rise flats or appartments they have less oppportunities to play. In poor quality housing there may not be a garden or safe playing area. This is reducing the childs opportunities to develop their physical gross motor skills. This of course is not always the case

Health status - A child with poor health may have to have the support that they receive at home and whilst in education adjusted to meet the needs of them. Parents that rely on their children to be Child carers may suffer if their children become ill.

Family stability can be described in many ways. Traditionally it is defined in terms family structure (for example, single parenthood, extended families, working families, foster care etc) Exploring the various family processes that pertain to stability may be a useful means of understanding the specific characteristics of family stability that support healthy child development. For example,

The environment inside the mother’s womb can indeed have a dramatic influence on the development of a child but environment influences such as where the child is raised can have a huge affect on a child development as well. Children of a low income tend to live in more polluted areas, where the air and the water are polluted, pollution can cause brain development in children as well lung diseases that can be development in childhood or can affect them later in life. One the factors that can have a huge impact on a child’s life is housing. Those on a low income are more likely to be living in poor housing conditions experiencing stress from overcrowding including noise, lack of privacy, having to wait to use facilities such as the toilets, poor heating and ventilation in winter, poor washing and cooking facilities, the house can have many hazards for a child due to architectural features, dampness, as well the neighbourhood cannot be safe or have poor facilities such as shops and parking. Poor housing is associated with poor health this is due of poor facilities and opportunities, children that grow up within poor housing are more

Family dynamics can have a positive effect on child’s development because the child will feel settle and have a positive input into their lives and good support to help them develop and achieve what they want to achieve, this has a positive effect on their behaviour to. If family dynamics are negative then this have a negative affect on their developments such as divorce because the child may be spending time at different house and having one parent missing so they will feel unsettled and not able to concentrate on things. They may also experience missing one of their parents of relatives being in prison.

For example a child born with Autism might not mix well with his peers which in return could affect his behavioural, social and communicating development. There could also be health issue where a child could have contracted Meningitis as a baby and subsequently lost part of their limbs making their physical and development more difficult. Or a child who is not very nicely treated at home might not have the confidence to make new friends which will in turn affect all aspects of his development, make him shy and withdrawn.