Development

1) Chart showing the different stages of Development against different ages DEVELOPMENT 0-19 YEARS Physical Development: | | | | |Age Range |Description of Stage |Impact on Development | |0-3 years |Period of fast physical development. |During their first year they gradually learnt to have more | | |New born babies have little control |control developing a degree of mobility such as crawling or | | |over their bodies. Their movements |rolling. During the second year they will continue to grow | | |are dependent on a series of |and develop quickly and usually begin to walk, climb and | | |reflexes, which they need in order to|start using their hands for pointing, holding and feeding | | |survive. |themselves. By their third year children will start to have | | | |much more control being able use cups, feed themselves, use | | | |pencils and turn pages. They will be able to walk and run | | | |with more confidence. | |3-7 years |Children at this stage are growing in|Have more control over fine motor skills such as writing, | | |confidence and are able to carry out |drawing and cutting. They will also be able to do activities | | |more co-ordinated movements. |such as running, kicking a ball, hopping etc. | |7-12 years |As children continue to grow and |They may enjoy dancing or sports, they may also be able to | | |develop they will now be refining |make very controlled finer movements such as in activities | | |many of their skills. |like sewing or playing a musical instrument. | | | |Girls in particular will start to show some early signs of | | | |puberty. | |12-16 years |This is a stage of great physical |Boys will be starting to go through puberty, while many girls| | |change in both girls and boys. |will have completed the process and being having regular | | | |periods. During this stage there is a great variety in height| | | |and strength. Though at the end of this stage most boys will | | | |be taller and stronger than most girls. | |16-19 years |This is the stage when young people |Girls will usually have reached physical maturity though boys| | |become adults. |may continue to grow and change until their mid-20s. | Intellectual Development: | | | | |Age Range |Description of Stage |Impact on Development | |0-3 years |Babies will start to look at the |During this stage they will be learning to identify different | | |world around them and enjoy |objects and be able to point to them, understand that objects | | |repetitive activities in which they |are still here even when hidden and may even be able to | | |can predict the outcome. |recognise colours. | |3-7 years |Children are becoming more skilled. |Children are becoming more skilled aspects such as reading and | | | |writing. They will be more aware and continue to learn about | | | |the world around them. | |7-12 years |Children are starting to develop |They are more fluent in reading and writing and will be | | |ideas about activities or subjects |influenced by adults. They will also develop their own thoughts| | |that they enjoy. |and preferences and be able to think in a more abstract way. | |12-16 years |Young people will have a clear idea |They will be able to reflect on their achievements, though they| | |about their favourite subjects and |may lack confidence or avoid situations where they have to do | | |activities and what motivates them. |less popular subjects. | | | |It is particularly important for teenagers to feel good about | | | |themselves and want to belong. | |16-19 years |By this stage young people will be |They will be able to focus on areas of their strengths and look| | |thinking about career and university |forward to developing these. | | |choices. | | Language and Communication Development: |Age Range |Description of Stage |Impact on Development | |0-3 years |It is important for babies to be |At this stage babies will be listening to language from those | | |stimulated and have interest shown in|around them. At 12 months most will begin to speak isolated | | |them; otherwise they may find it |words, though the pronunciation will not be clear. Between 1-2 | | |difficult to learn the skills of |years they will start to out words together and their | | |effective communication later. |vocabulary will start to increase rapidly so that by 2 years | | | |they will have approx 200 words. Between 2-3 years their | | | |vocabulary is increasing and they will start to use negatives | | | |and plurals in their speech. | |3-7 years |As children become more social and |They will also become more inquisitive and ask lots of | | |gain wider experiences they will |questions. They will be able to talk about things in past and | | |start to use an increasing number of |future tenses. | | |phrases and expressions. | | |7-12 years |By this stage children will be |Most children will be fluent speakers, and will be developing | | |developing and refining their skills.|and refining their skills at reading and writing. Their | | | |language skills will be able to enable them to think about and | | | |discuss their ideas. | |12-16 years |At this stage children should be |They will be able to learn in more abstract terms and be able | | |fluent in speaking, reading and |to learn new subjects and facts for themselves. | | |writing, possibly also in a secondary| | | |language. | | |16-19 years |At this stage children are becoming |They are able to communicate as adults and learn skills and | | |more advanced in their language and |subjects through their own motivation. | | |communication skills. | | | | | | Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development: |Age Range |Description of Stage |Impact on Development | |0-3 years |Very young children will be starting |They will need to form strong attachments with parents and | | |to find out about their own |carers. As they develop they may start to have tantrums through| | |identities. |frustration and will become more independent. | |3-7 years |Children will start to develop their |They are able to develop their concept of different roles in | | |own identities and will start to |their lives. They will learn the importance and necessity of | | |socialise and play with their peers |boundaries. They will respond well to being given | | |using imaginative play. |responsibility and will need adult approval. | |7-12 years |Children’s friendships will become |They will gain more independence through being able to solve | | |more settled and they will start to |more complex problems and activities. They will continue to | | |have groups of friends. |need praise and encouragement, and start to become increasing | | | |aware of what others may think of them. | |12-16 years |At this stage the self-esteem of |Their bodies will begin showing signs and changing into adults.| | |children and young people can be very|They will become more independent of adults and spend more time| | |venerable. |among their peers. | |16-19 years |Children are entering adulthood. |Though children are maturing into adults they will still need | | | |advice, guidance and reassurance. They start to gain experience| | | |and emotional maturity. | 2) Diagram showing a range of influences that might affect children and young person’s development, for example background, health and environment. [pic] 3) Examples of transitions that some children and young people may experience e.g. bereavement, divorce, new school etc. Transitions are different situations or experience in which children or young person pass through a period of change which have a major impact on them and that can affect behaviour and/or development. They can include those that are common to all children and young people, such as moving school and puberty and those that are particular only to some, such as bereavement and divorce. There are four different types of transitions, emotional, physical, physiological and intellectual. Emotional: Children’s emotions are affected by their own personal experiences and relationships with others. The child’s emotional development might be affected if these experiences are unsettled or traumatic. Examples of emotional transitions are bereavement (the loss of a pet or toy, or death). Physical: a change in a child’s activities that may cause disruption or be difficult for them to process, for example moving schools or home, or even being asked to move to a different activity in which the child in absorbed in. If this is a consistent problem with some children it may affect their development. Physiological: these transitions usually occur over longer periods of time and can therefore be harder to manage in children and young people, they may not be aware of the underlying effects or they may be more sensitive in discussing them. Examples include puberty, long-term medical conditions. Intellectual: this type of transition usually occurs when children are moving between different schools, key stages or classes. If these transition are not handled well they can be quite traumatic for the child. Starting School: Starting school is one of the most important transitions in a child’s life, and is therefore a major challenge of early childhood. The transition to school is fundamentally a matter of establishing a relationship between the home and the school in which the child's development is the key focus or goal. Initial success at school both socially and intellectually can lead to a virtuous cycle of achievement and can be a critical factor in determining children’s adjustment to the demands of the school environment and future progress. The ways in which transitions are experienced not only makes the difference to children in the early months of a new situation, but may also have a long-term impact and are likely to influence subsequent experiences. It is important that this transition stage is managed well so that children feel confident and secure in their new environment. To help ensure that children settle easily during this transition stage it is important to gradually integrate them into the life of the school, this can be done through introductory days or taster days before they begin full time, so that children can experience being in the school environment and meet some of their peers along with their teachers. It is also important to take time to talk to children and get to know them individually, by doing this you can encourage and promote children’s independence. Death: Death is probably the most permanent loss we face. The pain of loss is related to the nature of the transition. When loss is sudden and unexpected, there is must less time for the child to begin adjusting, however if the death is anticipated there has been some time to think, anticipate, mourn and slowly adjust thus making the loss easier to deal with. The pain from loss is also related to the nature of the relationship, a child inevitably would experience more distress the closer to and dependent upon the person they have lost. It is important to recognise grief in children, as underestimating the vulnerability of a grieving child can actually prolong the child’s pain and increase the effects and duration of their grief. Sometimes the teacher is the adult most aware of the child’s pain, due to parents/carers also coping with the loss and therefore may underestimate the impact it is having on the child. Loss affects a child’s capacity to thrive in learning and social settings. The way children deal and adapt with grief and the loss will depend upon several factors, such as their age and their individual style of coping. During the grieving process the child will need to process the actual event and cope with the loss. In weeks following the loss, the child might experiences disturbing thoughts. The primary emotion during this time is fear — fear of the unknown, fear of the future, though eventually these thoughts will change to loss and feelings of sadness. It is important to talk to the child about death or loss and understand what they think about it, try to get them to share their thought and feelings. It might also be beneficial to discuss this subject with the class, to explain in terms relevant to them about death and grief so that they too can understand and help to support the child. Moving house: Although moving has become a common event for most families it can bring with it a variety of emotions and situations. It can be an exciting opportunity with the possibility of new places, friends and neighbours, but it can also be physically and emotionally stressful and cause a sense of confusion and unease on a child. Their may be an element a grief involved with the move, due to death or divorce for example. The move may not involve a change in the child’s school however if it does this will cause even more disruption to the child as they will also face losing their friends and the school environment that they are used to. It is important to remember that the reactions from children will vary depending on their developmental age and personality. A more out-going child will adjust into a new environment quicker that a quieter more nervous one. Infants and toddlers will generally make the transition well as they will receive less disruption. However children that are already in school may display a mixture of emotions, they will be excited about the move though may become upset if they will be leaving behind their friends and peers. If the child is staying at the school encourage them to talk about the move and their new house, help them to understand that although it may be a stressful time it is also an exciting experience. If the child will also be changing schools, again encourage the child to talk about their feelings as they may be feeling anxious. They may have visited their new school, get them to talk to the class about the school and their new teacher. Have a leaving party this may help ease the pain of good-byes and help the child to accept the reality of the move. Puberty: This can be a confusing time for all teenagers as hormones and emotions are uncontrollable. It is important that children and young people are educated about this process to help them come to terms with the changes that are going on physically and emotionally. It is the role of both parents and school to teach children about Puberty. Giving young people correct and useful information will help to reduce confusion and fears that they may have. It is important to reassure children that this process is natural and that it is the necessary change we all go through to becoming adults. Children will have lots of questions so it is important to be available to answer these and also to have reference books and leaflets that they can also use, especially for those that may be more embarrassed about speaking to an adult. It is also a time when young people are becoming aware if their bodies and sexual preferences, it is therefore important to be supportive and understanding. New sibling: Many children get a new sibling during their preschool years. The addition of a new sibling can be a huge transition for children, as they must start to share their attention, affection and space for the first time. Their sense of significance, security and belonging can falter, their place in the family has changed and they may have difficulty understanding the readjustment. It is important to prepare the child of the new arrival, try to explain what to expect and how their situation will change also to make them feel important and involved during this time. No matter how well children may be prepared for the arrival of a new sibling, it is usual that they will feel some resentment and their behaviour may change when the child actually arrives. Therefore you should reinforce older children that they are still valued and encourage their sense of significance and belonging. ----------------------- Influences affecting develop-ment Genetic: Gene or chromosome abnormalities e.g. Down’s syndrome, cystic fibrosis Diet: Nutritional disorders, obesity, under nourishment Poverty: Poor housing, diet, hygiene, lack of stimulus. Environment Noise, water pollution. Lack of stimulation and play provisions. Illness/ disease: Frequent time off school and social opportunities. Learning Difficulties: Require extra support and encouragement Background: Family circumstances, cultures and circumstances, language barriers Personal Choices: Extra-curricular activities, academic involvement etc Education: Home schooling, private tutoring, previous schooling. Abuse: If child is being abused/ bullied Exercise: Provides stimulation, health and fitness