Child_Care_Level_3_Unit_22__2.1_&_2.2

Explain how children & young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors There are many personal factors that can influence a child or young person’s development. Their development could possibly be affected before birth or after birth. 1. Antenatal: this is known as the stage from conception to birth. During this time the life style of the mother affects every part of the child’s development in the womb. If the mother smokes, takes drugs, becomes stressed or becomes sick this can result in a premature birth and health problems for the baby such as: low birth weight, undeveloped organs, problems with sight and hearing. This can cause a delay on the baby’s development. 2. Prenatal: this is the time of birth. Babies born before 37 weeks are called premature babies. They may possibly need intensive care which will affect the development, e.g. lack of oxygen during birth can affect their development. 3. Health problems: if a child suffers from health issues such as asthma, it may make them unable to take part in activities which will affect the overall development. A child with learning difficulties, physical disabilities or sensory deficiencies (blindness & deafness) will make it unable for them to socialize and work with other children. This is a huge part in helping their development. They may also be withdrawn and made feel like they don’t belong. Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of external factors External factors have extensive effects on your child’s development. Your child’s home environment, the friends with whom they spend time with and the food that they eat are factors that influence his physical, social and cognitive development in positive and negative ways. Poverty & Deprivation * Poverty affects children and their families in various ways. Poverty in the UK is categorised as relative rather than absolute, meaning that children are not starving, but the effects of growing up in poverty are still very noticeable. Personal Choices * As children develop into young people, they are usually given more independence. This means that they are often in situations where they can make their own decisions, for example, choosing whether to smoke or not, drink, have sex or be a drug user. These types of choices can have an impact and effect on their development. Family environment & background * Children’s development is influenced by their family environment. Parents in particular are extremely important in children’s lives and this is why policies in early neglect babies, year settings are designed to work in partnership with them. Parents may also support their children as they go through school by being involved in homework or taking an interest in what the child does. This has a massive impact on children’s development, especially in areas of cognitive, social and emotional development. * However some parents are not able to cope. This can affect the way their children develop. Depression, drug taking and alcoholism are examples of conditions that might add to parents’ lack of ability to complete their parenting role easily. Parents may neglect babies and younger children, older children may find themselves taking on a caring role within the family. It is not unknown for children aged as young as 5 years to dress and feed younger siblings.