my child’s early development
Early childhood development refers to the growth that takes place from pre-conception until age six. The early years are the most critical for the development of the nervous system, including our brains, as the most significant brain growth occurs in the first six years of life. We now know that our brains are not fully developed at birth. In fact, a baby's brain weighs about one quarter (1/4) of what an adult's brain weighs.
The experiences of early childhood have a profound impact on the overall health and well being of individuals throughout their lifetime.
what do we mean by development?
As you can see from the above statement the early years development of a child's brain really is a reflection of a sequence of crucial events on the child's life even before birth - in particular nutrition in the womb and any ill effects of genetic problems, smoking drugs or drinking - all of which exert a massive effect on the development of the brain - even before the child is born.
From birth onwards a child's brain grows and develops in complexity, in order to prepare the child for independent life. The period of rapid growth, in the early years, requires a huge amount of complex nutritional requirements to be met and avoidance of harmful environmental and genetic factors, all of which can have a negative effect on the child's development. In addition there are psychological needs that must also be met.
If all these conditions are met then the focus is on the skills a child develops, which is what is generally regarded as the process of child development. So you can see that a child's growth is more than just physical. Children grow, develop and learn throughout their lives, starting at birth. A child's development can be followed by how they play, learn, speak and behave.
Child development is a process every child goes through. This process involves learning and mastering skills like sitting, walking, talking, skipping and tying shoe laces. Children learn these skills, called developmental milestones, during predictable time periods. The brain grows very rapidly during the first several years of life. During this time, your child is learning all sorts of new skills. Because children usually acquire developmental milestones or skills during a specific time frame or 'window' we can predict when most children will learn different skills.
children develop skills in five main areas of development:
Cognitive Development
This is the child’s ability to learn and solve problems. For example, a two month old baby learning to explore the environment with their hands or eyes or a five year old learning how to do simple tasks involving reasoning.
Social and Emotional Development
This is the child’s ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and self-control. For example, a six week old baby smiling, a ten month old baby waving bye-bye, or a five year old knowing how to take turns in games at school.
Speech and Language Development
This is the child’s ability to both understand and use language. For example, a 12 month old baby saying his first words, a two year old naming parts of their body, or a five year old learning to say ‘feet’ instead of ‘foots’.
Fine Motor Skill Development
This is the child’s ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon, turn pages in a book, or use a crayon to draw.
Gross Motor Skill Development
This is the child’s ability to use large muscles. For example, a six month old baby learns how to sit up with some support, a 12 month old baby learns to pull up to a stand holding onto furniture, and a five year old learns to skip.
do all children develop at the same rate?
No – every child is different and even twins can develop at different rates.
Each child is an individual and may meet developmental milestones a little earlier or later than his peers. You may have heard people say things like, “he was walking before he turned 10 months, much earlier than his older brother” or “she didn’t say much until she was about 2 years old and then she wouldn’t stop!” This is because each child is unique and will develop at his or her own pace.
However, there are definitely blocks of time when most children will make a milestone. For example, children learn to walk anytime between 9 and 15 months of age. So, if your child is 13 months of age and not yet walking, there is no need to worry if at that time he is crawling and pulling to a stand. He has acquired the skills he needs to learn to walk and may begin walking soon. However, if you have a child 15 months of age who is not yet walking, it would be a good idea to talk with your child’s GP, or health visitor or even ask for a referral to a paediatrician to make sure there aren’t any medical or developmental problems. This is because not walking at 15 months is considered to be outside of the ‘normal’ window or time frame in which children learn to walk, although just over 2% of children without medical or developmental problems will not be walking at that age.
how can I help my child meet these developmental milestones?
As parents, we all want our children to succeed and be the best they can be. We know from research that two factors influence how your child succeeds and grows: genes and environment.
One of the factors that influence our child's development is their genetic makeup or ‘genes’. Some people refer to this as ‘nature’. Genes are the genetic material we pass onto our children. Children are born with their genes in place. These genes act like a blueprint for what characteristics a child may have. For example, genes determine if a child will have blue eyes or brown eyes. They also determine if a child will be left or right handed.
The other factor that influences child development is the environment. This includes experiences children have in their home, school and community environments. Some people refer to this as ‘nurture’. The environment can either improve or harm a child's genetic blueprint.
We often think we need to buy special toys, music and games to stimulate our child's development but we have to remind ourselves that it is more important to provide consistent care and everyday activities to encourage brain development.
Give your child lots of love and attention. No matter what a child’s age, holding, hugging and listening are important ways to show your child they matter.
Interact with your child by talking, singing, playing, reading and eating. Your child will grow up feeling special and important to you. You will also learn a lot about your child’s interests and skills.
Read age appropriate books regularly to your child. Research has shown that children who are read to by their parents have a larger vocabulary than other children. Reading also provides children with new perspectives about the world we live in.
Learn some simple parenting skills for helping your child to learn how to behave. The most important parenting skills are having consistent rules, rewarding positive behaviour you want to see your child do more of, and having negative consequences for the behaviour you wish to discourage.
Limit TV time and video time to no more than 1-2 hours of educational viewing per day.
Access the web for parent information on supporting your child’s development.
Ask for help when you need it from your spouse, partner, family, friends or your health care provider such as health visitor, GP or nurse practitioner. Parenting is wonderful but it is not always easy.
In future articles we will look at some of the more common developmental concerns and disorders which parents may be concerned about.
In the meantime if you want to check out your child’s milestones have a look at this website.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
