What is child development?
Child development can be referred to as the procedure by which a child grows and evolves over a period of time (Dana, 2021). It encompasses the entire time span from infancy to a human becoming a completely functional grownup. Physical development and cognitive, linguistic, psychological, and social growth are all components of child development. Whilst these elements are typically assessed independently, each has an effect on the others. For example, as the mind develops physiologically, so do its cognitive abilities. This not only allows a child to have a more complete understanding of their social environment, as well as the psychological reactions and languages required to articulate them, but it also has a considerable impact on subsequent physiological cerebral growth. A number of elements impact the trajectory and progression of a child’s development within a given person. These encompass the child’s inherent or genetic constitution as well as outside factors such as parents, community, economics, wellness, and cultural factors (Mcleod, 2019). Thus, nourishment, prosperity, parental methods, schooling, and interpersonal interactions all directly impact a child’s progress and advancement.
Importance of studying child development.
One of the reasons for studying child development is that it helps parents know more about their children. Parents can be benefited from knowing much about their children’s development. A lot occurs between birth and maturity, so it’s critical to comprehend what occurs at every phase of life (Why learn about child development, 2015). Parents may help their children develop in healthful manners and solve difficulties that may occur by understanding much regarding how children develop. In addition to acquiring skills that can assist them in becoming smarter parents, they will develop a deeper understanding of how their kids conduct, reason, develop, and experience.
Secondly, by studying child development, the parents can spot and identify problems affecting their children. While every individual is unique, child development appears to reflect a surprisingly frequent structure. Once individuals study child development, it enables them to understand what’s normal at different ages and phases. Probably most crucially, understanding child development makes it simpler to identify potential risk problems in children. From issues with intellectual, relational, or psychological growth in earlier childhood to difficulties later in life, the ability to anticipate prospective difficulties is critical.
Lastly, studying child development stages allows individuals to know what their children are competent of and what they are not capable of at their stage. That way, parents won’t attempt to train them stuff they can’t yet accomplish (Why learn about child development, 2015). A simple instance is attempting to educate a newborn on how to crawl. Possessing knowledge regarding child development, the individual can’t train the child since he/she understands that the child is not yet competent in doing so. If individuals don’t understand that they can’t perform it because they aren’t on the stage to perform it already, they’ll believe that the child is failing and they, too, are failing. Another example is training the children on how to go to a toilet. Many individuals attempt to teach their babies considerably too early, in which it can take even weeks or months.
One of the theorists I found more educative regarding child development is Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud held that every phase of a child’s growth, starting from conception, is closely tied to certain wants and desires. According to him, every phase is centered on a particular bodily component and all anchored on a sexual basis. Freud’s theories for child conduct were dynamic and psychosocial. Freud claimed that there are phases in which a child has a certain demand, and that fulfillment at every phase is vital in order to prevent a child from becoming obsessed on a given level (Mcleod, 2019).
References
Dana Dance-Schissel. (2021). What Is Child Development? – Definition, Theories & Stages. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-child-development-definition-theories-stages.html
Mcleod, S. (2019, February 5). Freud’s five stages of psychosexual development. Study Guides for Psychology Students – Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html
Why learn about child development? (Better kid care). (2015, October 7). Better Kid Care (Penn State Extension). https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/news/2015/why-learn-about-child-development
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