EDU - 1003

Stages of Child Development

CLO 1-Understand four key current issues in

developmental theory. Design learning activities and

provide learning opportunities reflective of current best
practice in relation to these key issues.

Child Development
Learning about child development means understanding
the patterns of growth and change. Guidelines are used
called milestones
Milestones describe the recognized pattern of
development that children are expected to follow.

Do you think children develop in a unique way?

Growth
Growth means an increase in some measured quantity

Child Development
Definition:
Change in the child that occurs over time. Changes follow an orderly pattern that
moves toward greater complexity and enhances survival.

Periods of development:

Prenatal period: from conception to birth

Infancy and toddlerhood: birth to 2 years
Early childhood: 2-6 years old
Middle childhood: 6-12 years old
Adolescence: 12-19 years old

Domains of Development
Development is described in three domains, but growth in one domain
influences the other domains.

Physical Domain:
body size, body proportions, appearance, brain development, motor
development, perception capacities, physical health.

Cognitive Domain:
thought processes and intellectual abilities including attention, memory,
problem solving, imagination, creativity, academic and everyday knowledge,
metacognition, and language.

Social/Emotional Domain:
self-knowledge (self-esteem, metacognition, sexual identity, ethnic identity),
moral reasoning, understanding and expression of emotions, self-regulation,
temperament, understanding others, interpersonal skills, and friendships.

Development
Development is a complex process. It involves patterns of change.
(Berndt 1992). These patterns of change continue throughout life.

Three broad areas of development

The broad areas of development are

Physical growth
Intellectual and cognitive performance
Emotional and social processes
Moral & spiritual development
These areas are often broken down into smaller more specific sub-groups

Areas of Development
We have to remember when looking at development, these areas are
integrated.

When there is a change in one area it doesnt happen in isolation, they

are closely related to one another.
We need to look at the big picture, how the process of change affects
the whole child/person when looking at development.

Development of the Whole Person

Development is a product of the three areas of functioning: biological,
cognitive and socio-emotional (Santrock, 1996)
Biological- changes in aspects of physical Development
Cognitive changes in thinking, language and learning
Socio-emotional- relationships with others, our emotional life and our
unique identity
We divide them into categories because its easier to investigate and
understand them but they are interwoven. Physical, Cognitive and
Language and Emotional and Social Development

Physical Development
Gross motor skills-large muscles in the body (walking, climbing.)
Fine motor skills- include gross skills and fine skills
o gross manipulative skills-single limb movements e.g. arm (throwing)

fine manipulative skills- precise use of hands and fingers (drawing, threading)
Sensory Development -sensation-receiving
information through the senses

Cognitive and Language Development

Cognitive-(intellectual) development of the mind-(recognising,
reasoning, knowing and understanding)
Perception making sense of what we see, hear, touch, smell and
taste. It is affected by previous experience and knowledge and by a
persons emotional state at the time
Language Development- communication skills
(including receptive speech, expressive speech)

Emotional and Social Development

Emotional Development:
Development of feelings
about oneself, other people,
self-esteem and self-concept

Social Development:
Relationships with other people.
Moral and Spiritual Development:
How to relate to others ethically, morally and humanely values eg honesty, respect
and concepts eg right, wrong

(Carolyn Meggitt. Child Development)

The pattern of Development

Childrens development follows a pattern:
From simple to complex e.g. simple actions to more complex -stand before
walk, walk before skip

The pattern of Development

Childrens development follows a pattern:
From head to toe- development progresses downward physical control
of the body starts at the head and progresses to feet

The pattern of Development

Childrens development follows a pattern:
From inner to outer- actions nearer the body to more complex actions
further from the body gross motor before fine motor

The pattern of Development

Childrens development follows a pattern:
From general to specific general responses to more specific eg baby
shows pleasure by a general response-eyes wide, kick legs. An older child
might smile and say certain things

References
Meggitt, C. (2000)Child development. An illustrated guide. 2nd Edition.
United Kingdom: Heinemann.