Child Development

Theory and Milestones

Importance of Early Years Conception to age

six is the key to subsequent Growth Development Productivity

Developmental Needs Infants need:

Protection from physical danger Adequate nutrition Adequate health care Adults with whom to form an attachment Adults who understand and respond to their

signals Things to look at, touch, hear, smell, and

taste Opportunities to explore the world Appropriate language stimulation

Donohue-Colletta, 1992

                                                  

Developmental Needs

Toddlers need all of the above and: Support in acquiring new motor, language,

and thinking skills A chance to develop some independence Help in learning how to control their

behavior Opportunities to begin to learn to care for

themselves Daily opportunities to play with a variety of

objects Donohue-Colletta, 1992

                                             

Developmental Needs Preschoolers need all of the above and:

Opportunities to develop and refine fine motor skills

Encouragement of language through talking, singing, books

Activities which will develop a positive sense of mastery

Opportunities to learn cooperation, helping, sharing

Experimentation with pre-writing and pre-reading skills

Donohue-Colletta, 1992

                                         

Child Development Principles Development begins

prenatally and learning is occurring at birth

Development has several interrelated dimensions

Children are active participants in their own development and learning

Development proceeds in predictable steps and learning occurs in recognized sequences, within which there is a great deal of individual and social variability

Development and learning occur continuously through interactions with people and objects in the environment

The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development

Rethinking the Brain Old Thinking

How a brain develops depends on the genes you were born with

New Thinking How a brain

develops hinges on a complex interplay between the genes you are born with and the experiences you have

Direct quotes from Shore, 1997 as cited in the Early Years Study, Final Report, 1999

Rethinking the Brain Old Thinking

The experiences you have before age three have a limited impact on future development

New Thinking Early experiences

have a decisive impact on the architecture of the brain, and on the nature and extent of adult capacities

Direct quotes from Shore, 1997 as cited in the Early Years Study, Final Report, 1999

Rethinking the Brain Old Thinking

A secure relationship with a primary caregiver creates a favorable context for early development and learning

New Thinking Early

interactions don’t just create the context, they directly affect the way the brain is “wired.”

Direct quotes from Shore, 1997 as cited in the Early Years Study, Final Report, 1999

Rethinking the Brain Old Thinking

Brain development is linear: the brain’s capacity to learn and change grows steadily as an infant progresses towards adulthood

New Thinking Brain

development is non-linear: there are prime times for acquiring different kinds of knowledge and skills

Direct quotes from Shore, 1997 as cited in the Early Years Study, Final Report, 1999

Rethinking the Brain Old Thinking

A toddler’s brain is much less active than the brain of a college student

New Thinking By the time

children reach age three, their brains are twice as active as those of adults. Activity levels drop during adolescence.

Direct quotes from Shore, 1997 as cited in the Early Years Study, Final Report, 1999

Brain Development Facts Development taking

place before age one is more rapid and extensive than once thought

Development is much more vulnerable to environmental influences than suspected

Carnegie Corporation of New York, 1994

Brain Development Facts, continued Early environment has

long-lasting influences on brain development

Environmental influences are not limited to number of brain cells and connections among them, also the way connections are “wired”

Carnegie Corporation of New York, 1994

The Newborn Maintain life sustaining functions

Supply oxygen Root, suck, and swallow (reflexive) Sneeze, cough, blink (reflexive) Regulation of body temperature Elimination of waste

Habituate Taste See Hear Other reflexes (e.g., Moro, grasp)

The Kindergartner Beginning Kindergartner’s

Knowledge and Skills Reading proficiency Print familiarity Engagement in prosocial behavior Approaches to learning

U. S. Department of Education, National Center for EducationStatistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999

SO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What concepts and skills enable children to move from the reflexive stage of infancy to the stage of a kindergartner?

Principles and Patterns of Development highly competent socially

interactive active learners sequence is

universal skills become

more specialized

plasticity critical learning

periods transitions occur individual

differences are seen in children

Composition

skills

complexity

fluidity/quality

Developmental areas

motor language cognition social activities of daily living

(adaptive)

Motor Development

Components flexion extension adduction abduction internal rotation external rotation

Tonicity Stability/mobility Movement

qualities reflexive

movements goal directed

movements

Language Development

Components of language syntax semantics pragmatics morphology phonology

Early language development perlocutionary illocutionary locutionary

Refinement of language

Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor period of development

Pre-operational period of development

Social Development

Attachment initial pre-

attachment attachment-in-the-

making clear-cut attachment multiple

attachments Peer relationships Play

Activities of daily living (Adaptive skill

development)

Eating and drinking Toileting Self-help skills