Child Development Essay

1.2 Research holistic development and write an account about your understanding of this, giving examples of how different aspects of development can affect one another. Holistic development means that each area is dependent on the other to make sure the child develops to their full potential. Development is split into different areas, Physical, social, emotional, language and intellectual. Still each area must connect in order for the child to develop. For example a child may be intellectual but not be able to tie his shoe laces. This is not because the child is incapable of tying his shoes lace but that he has not had to practice the physical skill. Another example is a child needs to wear glasses for school (physical) and other children tease him for wearing glasses which in turn could lower his self-esteem (emotional). This may lead to him being isolated from friends as he cannot deal with the teasing (social), he then may stop wearing his glasses to become accepted by his peers. As a result of this he will be unable to see clearly which could affect his school work (intellectual). 2.1 Research the influences that can affect children’s development. Background: There are different things that can affect child’s development in their background. A family break up can be really stressful for a child and can influence development as they can get very upset. The child could react in different ways by either lashing out, going very quiet or could even stop eating and talking as they feel they could feel responsible for their parents break up. As well as a break up effecting a child’s development, a child’s parent getting a new partner can be also as effective. They may not like the new partner and again can lead to them being aggressive going quiet or not eating. A massive influence in a child’s development would be if there was bereavement in the family as the child does not fully understand why that person is no longer in their life and can again cause all of the above reactions. Health Proper nutrition can have a direct impact on a child’s development both physically and psychologically. Appropriate nutrition is related to functional outcomes for children as they get older. In other words, unhealthy eating can lead to weight gain and other negative effects if the child does not learn how to eat healthy early in life. It is stressed that it is the increased duration and intensity of the exposures to healthy eating habits, through both hands-on learning and leading by example, that really make a positive impact on a child’s development. Environment Children who are surrounded, both at home and at school/daycare facilities, by a strong learning environment that is both informative and supportive may improve their development. A child’s environment – for example, his family or school – plays a huge part in his development. Simply stated, a nurtured child will do better than a deprived child. That may seem like common sense, but you may not realize the little things that make a difference. Some assume that a rich privileged child will automatically thrive more than a child living in poverty. That is not always the case. 2.2 Write an account about the importance of recognizing and responding to concerns in children’s development. Give examples of cases you are aware of. The following things would cause concern about a child or young person’s development. If the problem was left untreated then things could get worse, and a delay in treatment could mean that the outcome is not as good as it would have been if treatment was started earlier. If a child or young person does not talk to anyone or even only speaks a few words compared to others, this may cause concern. This would socially affect the child or young person’s because they would find it hard to make friends, work in groups or even interact with adults. It would also affect their communicational development because they would find it hard to speak to people and also may find it hard to listen to instructions. Early intervention would be the best way to respond to this concern, the first step would be to have the child or young person’s hearing checked because if they have poor hearing they will find it hard to hear people so will not want to communicate with others in case they get something wrong. Poor reading and writing is also another thing to look for. If a child or young person has difficulties with their reading and writing it may cause concern, but this may not be noticeable until the child is around the age of 6 or 7 because by this age they should have learnt how letters are formed and begin to string words together. These are the main skills a child needs to help them develop in all areas. Due to poor reading and writing the child or young person will start to fall behind his peers of the same age. They may find it difficult to interact or make friends with others who are more advanced than them, in case they are bullied etc. They would struggle with their intellectual development not only with the reading and writing, but they would struggle with their memory and even their concentration. 3.2 Research and identify other transitions that only some children may experience through life, for example bereavement. Most children may experience transitions; transitions can be long term or short term. Some transitions that most children may experience are likely to be, starting school or changing from one school to another. Some families may move house several times throughout their lives this can affect a child in that they have to try and make new friends and get use to the area in which they will be living. Children and young people have to make very many of their transitions without prior personal experience, and it can sometimes appear to them as a daunting list of ‘firsts’: first day at school; first exam. Most of these changes are dealt with well by most children and young people, as and when they are ready. The experience they gain and the skills they learn in the process equip them to deal with the challenges of life ahead. The diverse range of transitions faced by children and young people includes: †¢ starting or moving school †¢ puberty †¢ bereavement †¢ parents splitting up †¢ illness (their own or a parent’s or sibling’s) †¢ changing friendship groups †¢ entry to, or leaving, a pupil referral unit †¢ moving through child health services into adult services †¢ coming out as gay or lesbian †¢ leaving home. Young people and children will need help and support from peers and adults to successfully make the transition to the next stage in their life. The nature and timing and giver of the support will vary depending on the individual’s needs and circumstances. Bereavement-the death of a close friend or relative may be very traumatic for a child, when it comes to times of change and transitions you should give children every opportunity to talk about what is going to happen and how they feel. 3.3 Describe with examples how transitions may affect children and young people’s behavior and development. Children and young people naturally pass through a number of stages as they grow and develop. Often, they will also be expected to cope with changes such as movement from primary to secondary school and, for children with disabilities or chronic ill health, from children’s to adults’ services. Such changes are commonly referred to as transitions. Some children may have to face very particular and personal transitions not necessarily shared or understood by all their peers. These include: family illness or the death of a close relative; divorce and family break-up; issues related to sexuality; adoption; the process of asylum; disability; parental mental health; and the consequences of crime. It is important to understand a child or young person in the context of their life, to recognise and understand the impact of any transitions they may be going through.