Watching A Four Month Old Become Accustom Essay

An infant's anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when the infant becomes very upset at separation from the caregiver and both

As the babies begin to recognise people around them this has an impact on their emotional development as they can become distressed when people are not around.

After observing a nine month old child for this Child Observation paper, the author of this paper has taken copious notes during the session. The purpose of this paper is recognizing the biological, cognitive and psychosocial development of the child. The author of this paper identified the background history of the child, the observation made and the development process of the child.

Eye contact, tone, volume and rhythm of voice, soothing touch, and the ability to read the needs of the infant are significant in building a secure attachment between caregiver and child. Healthy attachment is important and acts an immune system of sorts. Just as humans need a physiological immune system to fight off disease and illness, the relational attachment system provides protection against psychological problems and illness (Landers, et al 2013). Without a healthy attachment system, a child is much more vulnerable to stress and more vulnerable to having issues with trauma, anxiety, depression, and other mental illness (Landers, et al.,

Moreover, infants are preverbal, which makes assessment and intervention especially challenging. Nonetheless, healthcare professionals must look out for warning signs. Some red flags may be raised as early as the baby’s birth. For example, poor mother-infant bonding from birth has been identified as a high risk for possible abuse later on and “may be caused by the delivery of a preterm infant, multiple infants, or one with a disability who has a prolonged stay in the hospital” (Lyden, 2011, p. 2).

It has been shown that the relationships infants develop early on in life have lasting effects on their identity and behavior. Extensive research has indicated that the relationship between an infant and its caregivers is particularly important.

“Individuals who care for an infant on a more frequent basis should be better attuned to the infant's unique physiologic and behavioral cues and to unique needs of the family (Alligood, M.R., & Mefford, L.C.).

By responding with care and comfort, this enables for an “attachment bond” to form between the infant and caregiver, most commonly the mother (White et al., 2013). Following on from Bowlby’s theory, Mary Ainsworth investigated the theory of attachment through observing the reactions of infants when their mothers left them alone with strangers. The investigation was named as the “Ainsworth’s strange situation assessment” (White et al., 2013). It was discovered through this investigation that infants who had secure attachments with their mothers were upset when separated and were easily soothed when the mother returns. This investigation implies that infants with secure attachment to their mothers show signs of normal social development.

Language is a communicative system of words and symbols unique to humans. The origins of language are still a mystery as fossil remains cannot speak. However, the rudiments of language can be inferred through studying linguistic development in children and the cognitive and communicative abilities of primates as discussed by Bridgeman (2003). This essay illustrates the skills infants have that will eventually help them to acquire language. The topics covered are firstly, the biological aspects, the contribution of the human brain to language development? Secondly, key theories of language development will be considered. Is the development innate? Is there a critical period? Thirdly, what must be learned? What are the rudiments infants must

If the individual’s needs are not met in this stage the individual will most likely develop a mistrust that will hamper relationship in the future. The relationship between parent and caregiver is vital. “It is during the first months of life that the baby comes to trust or not, to have faith or not. Whether trust and faith are developed has direct implications for identity formation” (Goodwin, 1998) The goal of this stage is to gain ‘Hope’.

Infants are a special cohort of a population in the society. Children between the ages of five months to two years are at a stage where they start familiarizing with their surroundings and have different reactions to situations. The surrounding where an infant grows greatly determines his or her development. The primary determinant of the development of infants is the parent-infant interaction (Crain, 2015). The first bond or relation of a child is with its biological parents or guardians in the case of orphaned children.

In the first few months of life, the sole purpose of any child’s behaviour is to survive. This, more often than not, results in actions that reduce the risk of harm and increase the chances of longevity. Of these behaviours, some argue that the most influential is attachment behaviour. “Attachment behaviour is any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining or maintaining proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world”(Bowlby, 1982). Therefore, children will make an effort to stay close to and under the protection of their primary caregiver. According to Webster, “through interactions with their primary caregiver, the child develops expectations and understandings about the workings of relationships. These mental representations of relationships become internalized to the degree that they influence feelings, thought and behaviour automatically and unconsciously” (1999, p.6). Moreover, the response of the identified individual plays a huge role in the child’s perception of the outside world. If the caregiver responds to the child’s needs in a caring and protective manner, the child will feel safe and comfortable in his or her surroundings. If, on the other hand, the caregiver is often emotionally and/or physically unavailable, the child is likely to

The first year of an infant’s life can be a time of great joy and learning, developmental growth physically, mentally and emotionally while providing an opportunity for parents to ensure their infant’s needs are being met. In 1965 Erik Erikson developed eight psychosocial growth stages beginning with Stage 1, ‘trust vs. mistrust’, which occurs from birth and throughout the first year of an infant’s life (Candlin 2008, p.76).

Over the course of the semester we have covered a variety of interesting topics involving the psychology development of children. An area that was particularly intriguing to me was the prenatal development and birth. As a nursing major with an interest in neonatal intensive care the subject of preterm babies was an area I wanted to explore more. Preterm babies are slower to initiate social interactions and as a result form less secure emotional ties. They can be fussier and are at greater risk for developmental delays and child abuse. Research has shown that interventions that foster positive emotional attachments improve caregiving but also increases the babies neurological and cognitive development. We will look at the effects of

For first-time parents, it can be difficult to know exactly what to expect from a child during the first six months. Every child is different. Plus, new parents who have limited experience with infants often imagine that back-and-forth communication begins immediately after birth. Many are surprised to discover that a newborn cannot make eye contact and barely responds to stimuli. This phase is short-lived, however, and the magic of parent-child