Self-Regulation A Cornerstone Of Early Childhood Development

All of the mentioned observations are linked to biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of human developmental in early childhood. The observations provided many connections to different concepts and theories produced by developmental psychologists. This analysis provides an understanding as to why the children acted the way they did in the observations.

In this paper I will reflect and discuss self-regulation among infants and toddlers. Establishing, responding and respecting a child’s needs will improve their own sense of self-regulation. Although there will be times you have to deal with challenging behaviors. There are strategies that can help prevent and reinforce appropriate behaviors. However, with infants and toddlers learning to self-regulate is a process, that requires parents and caregivers to be patient and understanding.

Gillespie, L. G., & Seibel, N. L. (2006 , July). Self-regulation: A cornerstone of early childhood development. YC Young Children, Vol.61(4), pp.34-39.

In infancy and toddlerhood, individuals’ development are in the sensorimotor stage of development. They learn and respond to things by utilizing their senses, or seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and feeling. Developing motor skills and sensory abilities are also important at this stage of development. This is also a crucial time when the bonds formed between the children and their primary caregivers can affect the development of their brains. Another important factor at this stage is their physical development.

from the necessity to control one’s own thoughts and actions to carry out many everyday-life activities such as reading, driving, or even crossing the street. The development of executive control during childhood has attracted substantial scientific attention because the developmental dynamics of executive processes have the potential to shed new light on later regulatory process as well as academic achievement social competence and problem behaviors during childhood. (Chevalier, Huber, Wiebe, & Espy, 2013). In the developmental dynamics of executive processes when dealing with delay in achieving milestones can causes issues with academic’s, social skills, and behavior control within early and middle childhood stages.

Throughout the course of the human lifespan, the period of most rapid development extends through infancy and early childhood. The early stages of development that occur during this time set the stage upon which further and more specific aspects of development will occur. There are many different external and internal components which influence and guide development during this time. These components include the individual’s family, including more specific parenting styles, as well as early education and the individual’s social environment. Each of these various aspects of development plays a critical and widespread role in these initial stages of development.

Due to this particular research on the development of self-regulation in children many studies have investigated the possible effects of metacognitive and self-regulation strategies on academia. For example, Labuhn et al., (2010) reported that students that received SRL assistance and guidance were more likely to exhibit higher levels of self-efficacy towards their academic ability resulting in improved performance within the classroom. It was also concluded that self-regulated learners performed at a higher standard in comparison to students that did not receive SRL guidance (Labuhn et al., 2010). Additionally Researchers, Graham & Harris (2000) and Kistner et al. (2010) found that SRL results in improved performance within a learning environment and can also limit academic deficiency in many students. Self-regulated learning strategies and interventions must be aided by metacognitive reflection and feedback from teachers and at times from peers through group tasks etc. (Dignath and Büttner, 2008). Although there are countless studies investigating metacognition and self-regulation strategies, those that address individuals with behavioural disorders are scarce, especially in regards to children. The reasoning for this is not only due to the numerous challenges regarding the formulation of self-regulatory abilities in children (Harris & Schmidt, 1997), but also due to the significant problems with attention, inhibition and impulsivity that children with ADHD exhibit which makes formulation of self-regulatory an incredibly difficult task. This study therefore aims to provide further information and understanding on the

Introduction, ice breaker activity- a picture tells a thousand words…, brief discussion on exploring what is self-regulation and what is

Welcome to the story of evolution from infancy through toddlerhood; from birth until near two years of age. Scientists have given this part of the life span more attention than any other period, perhaps because changes during this time are so substantial and so evident and possibly because we have presumed that what happens during these years provides a basis for one’s life to come. However, it has been argued that the importance of growth during these years has been exaggerated (Bruer, 1999). Nonetheless, this is a period of life that modern educators, healthcare providers, and parents have focused on most seriously. We will observe development and nourishment during infancy, mental development during the first 2 years, and then turn our

Self-control is the ability to control oneself, especially in difficult situations. It is usually to do with one’s emotions and desires. Self-control is an important characteristic for a moral life because just as Utilitarianism states that one must think of the greater good of others,

“During the first 2 years of life- the developmental period we refer to as infancy to toddlerhood- change is more rapid and more dramatic than any other 2 year period” (99, qI) . Our brain is made up about 100 billion neurons if not more that are constantly going through change and development. These neurons communicate with each other through something amazing called synapses and glial cells. Although all the neurons we have developed prenatally they undergo much more growth during childhood. During the infants first 2 years “the growth of neural fibers and synapses take place at an astonishing pace” (figure 4-1). The brain goes through a growth spurt during infancy and toddlerhood, during birth the brain only weights about 25% of its adult

There are many ways a parents can affect an early childhood child psychosocial. During this time is crucial for the child not to receive a lot of stress from the parents because their brain is still developing. Extreme stress from the parents may cause cortisol to flood the brain. When there is too much cortisol in the brain parts of the hippocampus get destroyed. The hippocampus is in charge of memory, so the child will for sure suffer memory loss in the future. The hypothalamus will also be affected. The hypothalamus is in charge of emotion. Any child who experiences high levels of stress and lack a nurturing parent are at a high risk of having regulated emotions. The hormone production is caused by parental responses. Too much of the hormone early in life and the child will have major depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder.

In Florez’s article talks about why self-regulation is important for infant’s growth because it regulates their thinking and behavior. Children use information to regulate thoughts, emotion and behaviors. Then they choose appropriate responses to respond back and maintain levels of arousal that aid in learning. Teachers teach students to self-regulate by modeling and scaffolding them. It is important for parents to set low expectations for child to meet

2. Self-regulation involves guiding your behavior, thoughts, and feelings in order to obtain goals. Ruth used self-monitoring when she went to the dentist

Children ages 4 to 5 years old, or kindergarten grade, experience rapid changes in their cognitive, social-emotional, and physical characteristics of development. An effective teacher organizes and designs his or her classroom around these progressions in order to promote healthy brain and bodily development throughout their life. As illustrated in the textbook, Educational Psychology, Fifth Edition, by John W. Santrock, “(The) commonly promoted link between neuroscience and brain education is that there is a critical, or sensitive, period – a biological window of opportunity – when learning is easier, more effective, and more easily retained that later in development” (Santrock, 2011, p. 39). Therefore, it is essential for brain development