Stages Of Child Development And Related Developmental Theories Socio-emotional (spiritual, social, emotional)

Prenatal Infant

Developmental Theories (prenatal)

Pregnant woman s emotional state affects the fetus. (Federenko & Wadhwa,2004) - When a pregnant woman experiences intense fears, anxieties, and other emotions, physiological changes occur that may affect her fetus. e.g. producing adrenaline in response to fear, maternal stress.

Developmental Theories (prenatal)

The mother s emotional state during pregnancy can influence the birth process. Positive emotional states also appear to make difference to the fetus. (Lobel & other,2002)

Socio-emotional (prenatal)
The ears of the fetus are developed enough by 16 weeks of pregnancy to hear the mother's voice and outside noise. By week 24 the fetus will recognize the mother's voice enough to be calmed by it. Socio-emotional can be trigger through the music and even sense of touch by the mother.

SOCIOEMOTIONAL

INFANT
(SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL & MORAL)

Ages & Stages Infants

Two infants born at the same time may be very different. Some infants are very quiet and sleep a lot. Other infants are very active. Accepting these differences will make it easier to take care of infants and help them grow and develop.

spiritual development
Undifferentiated (Primal) Faith (Infancy) The earliest faith is the fund of basic trust and hope in the care of others. Undifferentiated faith experience of infancy is built upon secure attachments. A caregivers nurturance, protection, and availability provide the basis for the earliest grasp of divine care.

Social and Emotional Development

Birth to Six Months They begin to develop trust as their parents meet their needs such as changing their diapers when needed, feeding them when they are hungry, and holding them when they cry. When frightened, infants cry and look surprised and afraid. They cry to express anger, pain and hunger. It is their way of communicating. They are easily excited or upset. They need to be cradled and comforted. Infants smile in response to a pleasant sound or a full stomach. By four months, they smile broadly, laugh when pleased, and learn to recognize faces and voices of parents.

Six to Twelve Months

respond when you say their name. They begin to fear strangers. They begin to fear being left by their parents. They get angry and frustrated when their needs are not met in a reasonable amount of time. Infants will talk to themselves in front of a mirror. They begin to learn what is and is not allowed. Eye contact begins to replace some of the physical contact that younger infants seek.

Moral Development
Egocentric Reasoning The first stage of moral development in children, according to Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg, is referred to as egocentric reasoning. From birth to the age of 4, children see the entire world in terms of self. The justification for why something is right is because the child is getting his way. The only things that enforce a child's way of thinking at this stage is that acting one way will earn him rewards, and acting another way will earn him punishments.

Empathy
The idea of empathy--or of experiencing another person's pain and emotions as their own--is something that manifests in children of this age group. Young children who can barely vocalize, have been observed trying to comfort other people, such as a young boy offering his security blanket to an upset mother.

Learned Behavior
Infant morality, like most other forms of behavior that young children show, is a learned behavior. While young children are learning speech and grammar from their parents, they're also learning about body language. Once a child begins to comprehend behavior, he begins to learn what's right and wrong by example. If a child is punished for an act, then he learns that it must be wrong in the eyes of his parents. It's only later, once children begin to interact with people other than their parents, and in situations outside their own home, do they begin to develop a higher and more complicated sense of morality than what they've been taught by example.

Thank you.