Child development
Period From-to
Prenatal period Conception to birth
Infancy and toddlerhood Birth – 2 years
Early childhood 2-6 years
Middle childhood 6-11 years
Adolescence 11-18 years
Early adulthood 18-25 years
What is “Development?
When we speak of development, what in fact are we referring to?
One frequently used definition refers to this as patterns of change
over time which begin at conception and continue throughout the
life span. Development occurs in different domains, such as the
biological (changes in our physical being), social (changes in our
social relationships), emotional (changes in our emotional
understanding and experiences), and cognitive (changes in our
thought processes).
What is Child Development Theory?
The study of children has been a subject of great interest during
the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Scholars have gathered
information about and from children and have used this
information to formulate ideas about how children grow and
develop. Most scholars are researchers who mainly gather
information. However, some scholars create broad ideas that
attempt to explain how children learn and grow. These ideas are
called theories. A theory is designed to show one plan or set of
rules that explains, describes, or predicts what happens when
children grow and learn.
Types of Theories of Child Development
Some theorists identified with a child development focus on
growth, some on how learning takes place, and others on both.
The term growth usually refers to a sequence of changes or
stages that takes place on the way to adulthood. For example, a
child’s head reaches full growth before his or her trunk. Learning
refers to behavioral changes caused by environmental influences.
A child in Kazakhstan might learn Kazakh or Russian as a first
language, whereas a child in Turkey learns Turkish.
Developmental Theories usually explain changes in the child that
result interactions between growth and learning. Every child
develops in a similar manner. For example, infants explore
objects by sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell before they learn
that these objects still exist when out of their sight.
Theories emphasizing changes that originates in the environment
through learning are called behaviorist theories. For example, if
children hear language, imitate it, and are rewarded for making
sounds, they will learn to talk. Behaviorist theories explain how
the child learns regardless of his or her age or stage. Behaviorists
focus strongly on external environmental factors as they affect
learning and development.
Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories are the most popular guides to
early childhood education and development. Their ideas focus on
both the cognitive and the effective views of learning and are the
foundation of the constructivist ( a believer in the idea that
children construct their own knowledge through interaction with
the environment) approach that is the basis of od DAP
(Developmentally Appropriate Practice – Instructional practices
that are age, individually, and culturally appropriate and core
areas of DAP is knowing about the social and cultural contexts in
which children live.
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Age (Gesell) Social/ Personality (Piaget) (Vygotsky)
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(Erikson)
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The Importance of Childhood Development
Early childhood is a key period of mental and emotional growth, and what children
perceive and experience can shape their future: Our childhood environments and how
we respond to them can predict the course for our health and well-being as adults
To understand the environment’s impact on a developing child, let’s look at the three
main ways children process the information around them as they grow.
Classical conditioning. Drawing associations between a stimulus and response. For
example, children in religious families might associate bedtime with prayers.
Operant conditioning. Drawing associations between a reward and an action. For
example, children might receive dessert after eating their vegetables.
Observational learning. Absorbing and copying what they see from others in real life
or in the media. For example, a child might say, “Time to clean up” because a teacher
says it in school.
Children learn, therefore, by observing and making associations about their surroundings.
Exposure to positive influences can favorably impact a child’s development, while exposure to
toxic or stressful influences can negatively impact development.
Impacts on Child Development and Learning
Childhood is the most important stage in human development, since
exactly during this period the foundation for a healthy, successful and
happy life is laid. Supporting child development is the strategic goal of
society.
Here the theory of child development types is given below.
The developing children will be affected by:
Most parents would agree that parenting is extremely complex and
challenging. What works for one child, might not work for another – even
within the same family.
Parent-child Interactions Affect
Social and Emotional
Development.
A child’s relationship with a consistent, caring adult in the early years is associated with
healthier behaviors, more positive peer interactions, increased ability to cope with
stress, and better school performance later in life 17. Babies who receive affection and
nurturing from their parents have the best chance of healthy development.
Parental Stress may Hinder the
Social and Emotional Development
of Children.
The developing brains of infants and toddlers are wired to expect responsive, warm,
and sensitive interactions with parents and caregivers. But if that doesn’t happen,
children can suffer. Children in families experiencing hardship or poverty often witness
stress, in the form of sadness and anger, from their parents and don’t get the nurturing
they need 28. This can affect children’s abilities to understand and read people’s
emotions 28. Children as young as two can also experience sleep disturbances, become
withdrawn, or display aggressive behaviors 29. These and other negative behaviors can
follow them into later childhood and adulthood.
Paternal Depression may Harm
Parent-child Interactions.
Parental depression also poses a serious risk for healthy child
development.
If a parent has depression, he or she is less likely to provide rich, positive experiences
that promote healthy social and emotional development. It can also compromise the
quality of the parent–child relationship during critical years of development
Parental Cultural Influences on Child
Development
Culture influences development from the moment we’re born, making an impact on us
as we grow. For instance, culture can affect how children build values, language, belief
systems, and an understanding of themselves as individuals and as members of
society.
Children can receive these cultural influences in different ways, such as through their
parents, their environment, and the media. How society shows an understanding of
diverse cultures can impact a child’s development in many ways, such as how confident
in themselves or how comfortable interacting with others they become as adults.
Parents’ culture can influence their children’s development. A 2019 study, for example,
found that cultural values often influence the way parents raise their children, including
how they discipline and set boundaries. It makes sense that parents raise their children
based on cultural influences because they’re preparing them to develop behaviors
necessary to operate and thrive in that culture. However, when the social environment
and home culture clash, developmental issues can arise.
Environmental Influences on Child Development
Environmental influences on child development can include influences from community
and culture as well as from environmental health hazards. Pollution from a nearby
power plant, contaminated water, or lead in the home, for example, can cause lasting
impacts on children’s health. The health issues might not show up until later in life,
causing difficulty in school, work, and socialization. A child exposed to polluted air, for
example, might develop asthma as a teenager.
Children of low-income communities are most likely to be at risk of exposure to environmental
hazards. As the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) reports, low-income
communities may have poor infrastructure, making them more vulnerable to the effects of
natural disasters, such as contaminated water and damaged drainage systems. They may also
be located closer to factories and highways, both of which contribute to high levels of pollution
in the air, soil, and water.
Media Influences on Child Development
Media influences on childhood development include movies, TV shows, video games,
and other online content. Research that the American Psychological Association (APA)
has shared shows that children’s exposure to violent media can result in aggressive
behavior; exposure to advertising for non-nutritious foods can increase rates of
childhood obesity; and too much screen time can be linked to lower brain development
in preschoolers.
A study from the Cognitive Impacts of Digital Media Workgroup found that children
begin to learn from TV programs at around 2.5 years old. Educational programs, such
as “Sesame Street,” can positively influence their knowledge and social skills, preparing
them for school. However, after they turn 6 years old, children begin to watch more
entertainment programming, which can, in turn, influence their behavior negatively. In
addition, while video games can help children develop visual processing skills, they can
also yield aggressive behavior. The effects on cognitive skills and behaviors are often
specific to the games played.
As a result of these findings, the study suggests that clinicians and early childhood
service providers should work with parents to limit TV exposure before children turn 2
years old. As children begin to learn how to read, clinicians and service providers
should advise parents to regulate children’s media consumption — with a focus on
providing educational media content — and encourage reading habits.
My Home, my Destiny
Is your future decided by where you're born?
A child’s home influences his or her development. The home is a safe place for play and
nurturing, which is key for social and emotional development. The home is also where
important interactions happen with parents, caregivers, friends, siblings, and others in
the community.
Some believe that where you are born will decide your future, but can we not shape our
own destiny? Is it not down to personal determination to overcome adversity, or do we feel
the odds are too heavily stacked against us?
There are
I think in Kazakhstan, sadly, this notion may have some truth in it.
5,623,387 children in Kazakhstan aged from 0 to 17 years, which is
about 31% of the population.
Poverty remains relevant, as more than 90% of poor families in the
country are multi-child families, and children constitute more than 40% of
all Kazakhstanis living below the poverty line. Poverty affects every
aspect of a child’s life: malnutrition, lack of clean water and adequate
sanitation, health status, and longevity.
While crimes committed by children decreases, crimes against children
keep growing. Many crimes against children remain undetected and
unreported.
It is clear that if you are born in low - income family or multiple - children family you may
face difficulties, which impact your development and learning. For example, lack of parental
communication with kids, problems with siblings, economic opportunities which lead
committing crimes, dropping out schools, leaving the parental house and living in the
streets, using drugs and alcohols and committing suicide. In such families, parents or
caretakers spank kids.
Sweden became the first country to ban spanking in 1979. That means that
the first generation of children who were never exposed to corporal
punishment are now parents themselves.
Since Sweden’s ban on corporal punishment, the list of countries that ban
spanking children continues to grow. Currently, 52 other countries prohibit
parents from using physical punishments on children.
The developing brains of infants and toddlers are wired to expect responsive, warm,
and sensitive interactions with parents and caregivers. But if that doesn’t happen,
children can suffer. Children in families experiencing hardship or poverty often witness
stress, in the form of sadness and anger, from their parents and don’t get the nurturing
they need 28. This can affect children’s abilities to understand and read people’s
emotions 28. Children as young as two can also experience sleep disturbances, become
withdrawn, or display aggressive behaviors 29. These and other negative behaviors can
follow them into later childhood and adulthood.
Violence against children
In total 75.4 per cent of adults, 46.1 per cent of child protection and justice
officials, and 54.8 per cent of media professionals support the use of
corporal punishment in families. “Violence” is widely considered synonymous
with gross bodily harm, rather than bulling, psychological and verbal abuse.
Mental violence is not well understood. Parents may use corporal
punishment- hitting or slapping a child – in some situations and non –
violent discipline in other situations.
Violence, abuse and neglect of children are observed at home ,in schools
(especially in schools for children with “deviant” behavior), and in
institutions. Risk groups include children in residential institutions, children
of parents with limited educational attainment, children with disabilities , and
children of parents who consume alcohol or abuse substances. In 2016, 39.5
per cent of children surveyed in institutions reported experiencing physical
violence from parents/adults in the household compared to 17.6 per cent of
children surveyed in schools.
Also, 23.7 per cent of children in institutions and 14.1 per cent of children in
schools experienced sibling violence, and 36.8 per cent of children in
institutions and 25 per cent of children in schools witnessed family violence.
Kids in Sweden Aren't Spanked
Most parents would agree that parenting is extremely complex and
challenging. What works for one child, might not work for another – even
within the same family.
Childhood is the most important stage in human development, since
exactly during this period the foundation for a healthy, successful and
happy life is laid. Supporting child development is the strategic goal of
society.
There are 5,623,387 children in Kazakhstan aged from 0 to 17 years,
which is about 31% of the population. Since 2008, when the country
switched to international criteria for live birth, Kazakhstan has made
significant progress in reducing infant mortality. Neonatal mortality rates
have been reduced by more than 50%.
About 3% of children in Kazakhstan are registered with disabilities and
special needs. This rate is significantly inferior to 10-15% in other world
countries. This difference is primarily due to the difference in the
methodology for determining children with disabilities from those in other
countries - Kazakhstan still considers the medical side of disability.
Although the coverage of children with special needs with education is
growing, more than 10,000 school-age children with disabilities and
special needs are educated at home, which makes it difficult for them to
socialize. While in rural areas, children in this category have even fewer
opportunities to access education and rehabilitation services, thus they
are isolated from communication with their peers.
Poverty remains relevant, as more than 90% of poor families in the
country are multi-child families, and children constitute more than 40% of
all Kazakhstanis living below the poverty line. Poverty affects every
aspect of a child’s life: malnutrition, lack of clean water and adequate
sanitation, health status, and longevity.
While crimes committed by children decreases, crimes against children
keep growing. Many crimes against children remain undetected and
unreported.
The developing brains of infants and toddlers are wired to expect responsive, warm,
and sensitive interactions with parents and caregivers. But if that doesn’t happen,
children can suffer. Children in families experiencing hardship or poverty often witness
stress, in the form of sadness and anger, from their parents and don’t get the nurturing
they need 28. This can affect children’s abilities to understand and read people’s
emotions 28. Children as young as two can also experience sleep disturbances, become
withdrawn, or display aggressive behaviors 29. These and other negative behaviors can
follow them into later childhood and adulthood.
Cultural background gives children a sense of who they are. The unique cultural influences
children respond to from birth, including customs and beliefs around food, artistic expression,
language, and religion, affect the way they develop emotionally, socially, physically, and
linguistically.
.
My home, my destiny
“Our destiny is written in the houses where we were born. Once again,
we get injured in those houses, we grow up with those injuries, and
eventually we get to where those injuries lead us. However, happiness is
not always like this”, It reads in the book that you can buy in Amazon,
although only in its original language.
“This is the love story of ‘The girl in the window’, a girl from the suburbs
who has always lived in luxury, but whose destiny was misspelled from
the beginning“Adds Budayıcıoğlu in the description of the novel that did
not take long to adapt as a script for television, which today, under the
name of”My home, my destiny”, Holds thousands of viewers captive.
“My home, my destiny”Tells the story of Zeynep, the daughter of
Bayram, an alcoholic man, and Sakine, a woman who works cleaning
millionaires’ houses. At first, the minor grows up in absolute misery, but
when she reaches school, without many possibilities, her family accepts
that she is adopted by wealthy people.
Although he grows up having everything, one day his biological mother
returns to his life and tells him the truth; This is how she will discover the
humble town where she was born and the type of life she had, it is
precisely in this place that she finds true love, but for her everything is
very confusing.
To sum up, children are active learners from birth, constantly taking in
and organizing information to create meaning through their relationships,
their interactions with their environment, and their overall experiences. I
think the parent's role in developing children is significant, but
unfortunately, poverty remains relevant, as more than 90% of poor
families in our country are multi-child families, and there are 5,623,387
children in Kazakhstan aged from 0 to 17 years, which is about 31% of
the population, children constitute more than 40% of all Kazakhstanis
living below the poverty line. Poverty affects every aspect of a child’s life:
social, emotional, physical, and malnutrition, lack of clean water and
adequate sanitation, health status, and longevity.
It is clear that if you are born in low - income family or multi-child family
you may face difficulties, which impact your development and learning.
For example, lack of parental communication with kids, problems with
siblings, economic opportunities which lead to committing crimes,
dropping out of schools, leaving the parental house and living in the
streets, using drugs and alcohol, and committing suicide. In such
families, parents or caretakers spank kids, so crimes against children
keep growing. Many crimes against children remain undetected and
unreported.
Sweden became the first country to ban spanking in 1979. That means
that the first generation of children who were never exposed to corporal
punishment are now parents themselves.
Since Sweden’s ban on corporal punishment, the list of countries that
ban spanking children continues to grow. Currently, 52 other countries
prohibit parents from using physical punishments on children.
I hope corporal punishment by parents will be banned in our country
too.
I believe that our destiny is written in the houses where we were born.
Once again, we get injured in those houses, we grow up with those
injuries, and eventually, we get to where those injuries lead us.
