Shonkoff's Bio-Developmental Framework

A child’s environment, for example, their family or school play a huge part in their development. Some of the main factors that influence a child’s development are their family, where the child lives, and socio-economic status. These factors often cross over and blend as they are related.

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

As you have reflected on development across the lifespan and the Life Wheel throughout this course, what have you discovered about physical, social/cultural, environmental, developmental (Week 1-3 only) or occupational (Week 4 and 5), spiritual, intellectual, and emotional development? Reflect on the material from each week incorporating the elements listed. If there is a component that you believe is not applicable, please include a rationale. Support your reflections with appropriate citations as you address each of the following:

The main aim of this policy is to help children who grow up in the most at-risk families and to help parents give their children the best possible care. Also, to help children be as healthy as possible by preventing illness, and encouraging healthy behaviours from pregnancy and onwards.

Additionally, supporting children’s holistic health and well-being will not only enhance their growth and development, but also increase their self-esteem and promotes motivation for example, ‘willingness’ to explore with peers, which will contribute to positive enforcement as they grow and develop. They will also feel value by others and will feel confident to take risks and challenges and to be able to problem solve effectively without fear or judgement .

Things happened during these critical periods can create long lasting or irreversible impacts to a person’s health. For an instance, breastfeeding has plentiful benefits during infancy and childhood, and children who are exclusively breastfed are less vulnerable for obesity compared to formula-fed children (Musingarimi, 2008). World Health Organization (WHO) identifies that diets in early life is one if the deciding factors for the development of adulthood diseases (WHO, 2013).

Poor health can affect the building of relationships between parent and others, resulting in a lack of confidence and independence. However, nurseries that contribute to improving children’s diets through the promotion of consistent healthy eating enables them to make healthy food choices and to develop lifelong healthy eating habits. A good diet is essential for good

Historically, the focus of the healthcare system was on treating symptoms and using a ‘Band-Aid approach’ as the primary method of patient care. The current Canadian health-care system is moving from this approach, to a more holistic ideal of healthcare which encompasses all the determinants of health. Although each determinant of health may individually have effects on health, all are interrelated to create a web of elements that form the principles of our physical and mental health (Potter and Perry, 2014 p. 10). Two such determinants of health are social environment, and healthy child development. These two create a cyclical relationship so, if negative, they can have destructive effects on the general health of an individual and those in acquaintance or familiar with them.

Life span developmental psychology takes a scientific approach to human growth and change, focusing on change during the life span. There are three main aspects to life span development: cognitive, social, and physical development. This class is not simply a discussion of nature vs. nurture, it explores the interaction between genetic and environmental factors that orient us towards specific behaviors. Initially, my views on life span development were limited to more sociological factors, and did not take into consideration physical developments of the brain. In relation to my personal and professional identity this course has made me realize that development occurs on a spectrum and that not everyone develops at the same time, in the same ways, making me more understanding and compassionate towards those who developed differently than me. The three most important lessons I have learned from this class are that development occurs throughout the entire life span, infants begin learning at a very young age, and that senescence begins as early as young adulthood.

As this period is considered to be the most integral developmental stage of life, the impact of social, environmental, and economic determinants can have long lasting, if not permanent effects (World Health Organization (WHO), 2015) . Children who in early life are subjected to adversities, such as poverty, inappropriate care, maltreatment, inadequate health care, or substandard education, are more likely to suffer difficulties later in life (Hertzman, 2013).

Unhealthy environments pose significant issues amongst Early Childhood programs. Teachers, directors, and parents need clear understandings concerning their role in solving this problem. According to Squibb and Yardley (1999) the director has the ultimate responsibility to make certain that everyone in their facility is healthy. They can accomplish this task by offering verbal and written information to teachers and parents concerning healthy standards. After ensuring that rules are in place, directors can assume a practical approach such as, talking with parents about their emergency plans for childcare. For example, they can use the child enrollment sheet to discuss emergency contacts in case of sickness or other emergencies. In

After reviewing the two articles provided and studies of my proposed topic, there was no evidence of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks in six of my studies. However, there is one theoretical framework in my quantitative study that focuses on the individual and is grounded within the context of the life-span perspective of human development theory. Contextual influences include the types of changes in resources that occur in response to the individual's needs for resources throughout a changing life-span. Life-span development involves biological considerations, cultural considerations, and individual factors working together. The life-span perspective put emphasis on the development of the course of a lifetime, and all stages of the

The life-span perspective is a modern scientific approach to the study of human development that accounts for all phases of life including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and it breaks each phase into individual stages of development (Berger,2014). This perspective suggests that development is multidirectional, metacontextual, and all stages of development are important and play a crucial role in the individuals cognitive health (Berger,2014). The stages of development are categorized as infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, adulthood, and late adulthood. For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing on the infancy stage due to the importance of cognitive development before the age of two, middle childhood due to a child’s social structure becoming a defining factor in their lives, and emerging adulthood due to the stresses that an individual must endure while maturing into a young adult.

Per Maya Rossin-Slater in her article Promoting Health in Early Childhood, “Children who are healthy early in life—from conception to age five—not only grow up to be healthier adults, they are also better educated, earn more, and contribute more to the economy”. It is no secret that the current healthcare system in the United States lags in comparison to other countries. America has the most expensive system and still the sickest population. We allocate trillions of dollars to the health care services and only a fraction to population wide services. Just as there is not an even distribution of funds in healthcare allocation, the same goes for childhood health. There are

When a 0-3 year old child has a mother who practices a healthy lifestyle, this child will be 70% more likely to become healthy and adopt the same lifestyle. For instance, high income parents are more likely to eat organic food, have time to exercise, and provide the best living condition to their children. On the other hand, low income parents are more likely to participate in unhealthy activities such as smoking to help them release poverty-related stress and depression