Developmental Differences in Children

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Introduction

The development of any child is of utmost importance to the parent. It mainly refers to the emotional, psychological and biological changes that take place in human between the time of their birth and the end of adolescence as the person progresses from complete dependency to increased autonomy. It is worth noting that genetics factors and events that occur during prenatal life have a bearing on the occurrence of developmental changes (Wedemeyer et al, 1989). In fact, developmental modification may result from genetically-controlled processes called maturation or learning and environmental factors. However, it commonly involves the interaction of the two. In addition, it may come as a result of human nature, as well as an individual’s capacity to learn from the environment. This is especially having in mind that human beings incorporate an extremely keen sense of adapting to their environment or surrounding, which is what is encompassed in child development (Wedemeyer et al, 1989).

However, there are variations or differences in the development of children from one stage to another. This is as pertaining to the various aspects such as cognitive differences, psychomotor development, as well as language development. There are varied things that may be blamed for these differences in the development of children (Wedemeyer et al, 1989).

First, socioeconomic factors affect the development of children. Research has shown that persistent or chronic poverty bears more harm on a child’s IQ, emotional stability and school achievement than temporary or short-lived poverty. It is worth noting that children who come from households with temporary or persistent poverty still perform in a poorer manner than children from middle-class families.

Secondly, the environment in which an individual lives may impede development. Of course, this is tied to economic factors. For example, school environment may have a negative impact, thanks to aspects such as low teacher expectancies, as well as poor academic-readiness skills among others (Wedemeyer et al, 1989). This underlines the interconnectedness that prevails between emotional functioning of children from poor backgrounds and social economic disadvantages. It is worth noting that continued exposure to persistent or chronic stress in the school and home environment would infuse unhealthy or unreliable parenting, which would then have a negative bearing or impact on the development of the child (Wedemeyer et al, 1989).

Another thing that affects the development of children is the early experiences that he, or she undergoes. Psychoanalytic theorists have, for a long time, been focusing on events that take place in early childhood. They have always opined that the larger part of an individual’s personality is established by the time he or she attains five years of age. In essence, children who have undergone abusive or deprived childhoods stand high chances of undergoing abnormal developments.

Teachers have a key role to play in the development of children. This is especially in the case of children with exceptional needs. Teachers should establish a healthy atmosphere in, as well as outside the classroom so as to enhance the social development of children. This would allow children to feel that it is desirable and convenient to satisfy social relations with other people (Youniss, 1981).

In addition, teachers should enhance feelings of security in the psychology or mind of children. It is noteworthy that the development of children may be affected by feelings of insecurity among kids. In essence, children should be assisted to establish desirable and healthy relations with their classmates. This would inspire them to participate or take part in group activities inside, as well as outside the classroom (Youniss, 1981).

References

Youniss, J. (1981). Moral development through a theory of social construction: An analysis. Merrill-Pahner Quarterly

Wedemeyer, N.V., Bickhard, M.H., & Cooper, R.G. (1989). The development of structural complexity in the child’s concept of family: The effect of cognitive stage, sex, and intactness of family. Journal of Genetic Psychology

(Youniss, 1981) (Wedemeyer et al, 1989)