Child development involves the biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in

human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. The main 3 stages of life include
early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. [1] Early childhood typically ranges from
infantry (infancy - LR) to the age of 6 years old. During this period, development is significant, as
many of life's milestones happen during this time period such as first words, learning to crawl, and
learning to walk. There is speculation that middle childhood, or ages 6-12 are the most crucial years
of a child's life, ranging from the starts of some sorts of formal schooling to the beginning of puberty,
and this is also the period where many children start to gain a more sense of self. Adolescence, is
the stage of life that typically starts around the time puberty hits, all the way up until legal adulthood.
In the course of development, the individual human progresses from dependency to
increasing autonomy. It is a continuous process with a predictable sequence, yet has a unique
course for every child. It does not progress at the same rate and each stage is affected by the
preceding developmental experiences. Because genetic factors and events during prenatal life may
strongly influence developmental changes, genetics and prenatal development usually form a part of
the study of child development. Related terms include developmental psychology, referring to
development throughout the lifespan, and pediatrics, the branch of medicine relating to the care of
children.
Developmental change may occur as a result of genetically-controlled processes known
as maturation,[2] or as a result of environmental factors and learning, but most commonly involves an
interaction between the two. It may also occur as a result of human nature and of human ability to
learn from the environment.
There are various definitions of periods in a child's development, since each period is a continuum
with individual differences regarding starting and ending. Some age-related development periods
and examples of defined intervals include: newborn (ages 0–4 weeks); infant (ages 4 weeks – 1
year); toddler (ages 12 months-24 months); preschooler (ages 2–5 years); school-aged child (ages
6–12 years); adolescent (ages 13–19).[3]
Promoting child development through parental training, among other factors, promotes excellent
rates of child development.[4] Parents play a large role in a child's activities, socialization, and
development. Having multiple parents can add stability to a child's life and therefore encourage
healthy development.[5] Another influential factor in children's development is the quality of their
care. Child-care programs may be beneficial for childhood development such as learning capabilities
and social skills.[6]
The optimal development of children is considered[by whom?] vital to society and so[citation needed] it is important
to understand the social, cognitive, emotional, and educational development of children. Increased
research and interest in this field has resulted in new theories and strategies, with specific regard to
practice that promotes development within the school system. Some theories seek to describe a
sequence of states that compose child development.
 In addition to the course of development, previous literature has looked at how race, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status has affected child development. Some studies seem to speak to the
importance of adult supervision of adolescent youth. [7] Literature suggested that African Americans
child development was sometimes differentiated on the basis of cultural socialization and racial
socialization. Further, a different study found that immigrant youth tended to choose majors focusing
on the fields of science and math more often than not.
Also called "development in context" or "human ecology" theory, ecological systems theory,
originally formulated by Urie Bronfenbrenner specifies four types of nested environmental systems,
with bi-directional influences within and between the systems. The four systems are microsystem,
mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Each system contains roles, norms and rules that can
powerfully shape development. Since its publication in 1979, Bronfenbrenner's major statement of
this theory, The Ecology of Human Development[8] has had widespread influence on the way
psychologists and others approach the study of human beings and their environments. As a result of
this influential conceptualization of development, these environments — from the family to economic
and political structures — have come to be viewed as part of the life course from childhood through
adulthood.[9]

Piaget[edit]
Main articles: Jean Piaget and Piaget's theory of cognitive development
Jean Piaget was a Swiss scholar who began his studies in intellectual development in the 1920s.
Piaget's first interests were those that dealt with the ways in which animals adapt to their
environments and his first scientific article about this subject was published when he was 10 years
old. This eventually led him to pursue a Ph.D. in Zoology, which then led him to his second interest
in epistemology.[10] Epistemology branches off from philosophy and deals with the origin of
knowledge. Piaget believed the origin of knowledge came from Psychology, so he traveled to Paris
and began working on the first “standardized intelligence test” at Alfred Binet laboratories; this
influenced his career greatly. As he carried out this intelligence testing he began developing a
profound interest in the way children's intellectualism works. As a result, he developed his own
laboratory and spent years recording children's intellectual growth and attempted to find out how
children develop through various stages of thinking. This led to Piaget develop four important stages
of cognitive development: sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2), preoperational stage (age 2 to 7),
concrete-operational stage (ages 7 to 12), and formal-operational stage (ages 11 to 12, and
thereafter).[10] Piaget concluded that adaption to an environment (behaviour) is managed through
schemes and adaption occurs through assimilation and accommodation.[2]
Stages[edit]
Sensorymotor: (birth to about age 2)
This is the first stage in Piaget's theory, where infants have the following basic senses: vision,
hearing, and motor skills. In this stage, knowledge of the world is limited but is constantly developing
due to the child's experiences and interactions.[11] According to Piaget, when an infant reaches about
7–9 months of age they begin to develop what he called object permanence, this means the child
now has the ability to understand that objects keep existing even when they cannot be seen. An
example of this would be hiding the child's favorite toy under a blanket, although the child cannot
physically see it they still know to look under the blanket.