# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Children’s surroundings have a huge impact on their well-being. A healthy, safe home is essential for a child to grow, learn and explore. A problematic home environment, by contrast, can have detrimental effects on a child’s intellectual, social and emotional development. Research has shown that a n…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do you often have arguments with your partner in front of your child? Are neighborhood brawls disturbing the peace and harmony at your home? Well, if you can relate to the above situations reading this post is a must! There have been discussion relating to environmental factors affecting child development.

Do you know a child's learning and behavior also depends upon her immediate environment? Read on to know how environment affects child development and how you can build a conducive environment that will help your child gain positivity and knowledge!

Environmental Factors Affecting Child Development:

What you teach your child will not restrict her overall development. The environment your child grows up in and things she sees around her will also influence her early learning. It could be the ambiance at home, at school, at daycare, in the neighborhood and any other areas where your child spends a considerable amount of time.

Here are environmental factors that affect your child's development:

1. Emotional Bond With Your Child:

One of the first and main environment, your child will experience is the one at home. Since her birth, the emotional environment she sees and feels around her will shape her personality. The bond your child shares with you will help her understand and learn how to express her love and fears.

It will teach her how to interact with those who are close to her. A sentimental connect with you during the early years will help her feel confident and secure.

A stable and loving relationship will nurture your child's personality. She will feel important and valued.

Make sure you spend enough time showing her that you love her. Hold her hands and be there for her always.

[ Read: Role Of Parents In Child Development ]

2. Your Equation With Your Partner:

The relationship you share with your spouse will affect your child's developmental and emotional growth.

Your spouse and you are the perhaps the two people who will be closest to your child. You will also be the first couple your child will ever know.

How you interact with each other, and the love and respect you share as a couple will help your child learn about valuing another person.

She will learn the importance of a strong connect and will learn how to respect others.

A little display of affection is okay and required in front of your child. Small but important gestures like holding hands and hugging will show your child that these are natural ways to express love.

[ Read: How To Be A Good Role Model For Children ]

3. Your Family's Financial Health:

Your financial strength will affect various aspects of your daughter's childhood experience.

Your finances will determine the neighborhood you live in, the school or daycare your daughter will go to and your family's social circle.

In some cases, your child may notice your buying and spending habits and compare them with others she knows, like her friends and their parents. Depending on how she perceives these, she may start feeling self-conscious.

It is important you speak to your child about finances and how there are things more important than what money can buy.

[ Read: Parental Influence On Child Development ]

4. Overcrowded Living Spaces:

The environment at your home and the relationship with neighbors will also affect your child's behavior.

If you live in an environment that is overcrowded or is too loud, it can negatively impact your child's personality.

Too many members living in the same house can reduce the time you spend with your child, as you will be busy with others in the house. It could result in your child resorting to other ways of keeping busy, and distancing herself from you emotionally early in life.

Your child may also start to develop the willpower to block out loud noises and conversations. If your child is an introvert, she may retreat more into her shell.

Make sure you take out enough time to be with your child. If you cannot find the time and space at home, take her out for a walk or engage in some sports or activity that you two can enjoy together.

5. A Learning Environment:

You will be your child's first teacher, so it is crucial you create an environment that stimulates and aids her skill development.

A positive and relaxed environment at home will help your child concentrate on studies and learn better.

You and your spouse should create opportunities that allow your child to explore, even within the home.

Always encourage your child to ask questions and look for solutions. It will help her gain more knowledge.

As a parent, you have the biggest responsibility of creating the right environment for your child as it will affect her personality, learning and behavior.Environment and child development are correlated.It is not possible to give your child a perfect setting, but you can surely give her the best you can. Make sure you keep the milieu at home happy, loving and positive. Spend quality time with your child and teach her values by example.

How did you boost your child's development and growth through her environment? Did you follow any special tips? Do share your experiences and advice here.

Recommended Articles:

The following two tabs change content below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Does The Environment Influence A Child's Growth And Development?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you often have arguments with your partner in front of your child? Are neighborhood brawls disturbing the peace and harmony at your home? Well, if you can relate to the above situations reading this post is a must! There have been discussion relating to environmental factors affecting child development.

# data[].attributes.body
- Garden no garden?
- Flat or house?
- Rural environment or sustainable?
- Area the home is e.g. drugs and gangs vs quiet area with other families around.
- Amount of people in the house : amount of bedrooms.

# data[].attributes.body
- Plenty of toys
- Healthy home- no damp, clean, no mould, dust etc
- Plenty of space to play
- Stimulation
- People
- Safe home- plug socket covers, corner covers, fire place cover etc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how the environment affects child development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How the environment affects child development | 2KnowMySelf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
how the environment affects child development

# data[].attributes.body
Families in poverty may not be able to afford the correct nutrition for children.
Impact=

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How does nutrition affect child development?

We all come across various parenting goals on various websites. There are goals about achieving athletic goals, reaching academic achievements, and many more thing.

But in reality, many parenting goals revolve around children and their eating habits. And most of the real goals that we have for our kids involved proper development in one way or another.

While some parents deal with picky eaters, others have to stop their kids from stuffing themselves with junk, and some struggle with children who simply seem to have been born with no appetite.

Either way, children's nutrition plays a pivotal role in how kids grow up, which is why parents are most concerned about what their children eat, and how much of it they eat.

Balanced nutrition is the key to healthy development in children. However, a lack of balanced nutrition doesn't just happen because the child is undernourished. Over-feeding is another reason why child development is affected.
There are several reasons why a child might not get balanced nutrition.
Financial Issues

If the family is very poor and can't afford food then they might be at the mercy of whatever free food products are available.
Furthermore, if the family can't afford nutritious food, they might settle for cheaper options, however such options being cheaper might be an illusion, particularly if these choices lead to health issues down the road.

Children are picky eaters

When children fuss about many foods that are put before them, it's much easier for parents to give in and provide whatever is easiest.

You know how this goes. The kid won't eat what everyone else is eating so the parent resorts to pulling out frozen chicken nuggets or quickly making some other kid-friendly meal.

First of all, it's crucial to get kids to try many different kinds of foods. But if you are going to lean on chicken nuggets every so often, make sure they are a health version like this recipe for Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets.

Junk Food Addiction

If children are addicted to junk food, it can be a constant battle to get them to eat real food.

Junk food is specially crafted to be addictive-to keep the person eating it coming back for more. Manufacturers use synthetic ingredients in addition to refining processes to do this-and it works!

Lack of Knowledge

If the parents don't know enough about proper nutrition, then they won't know how to provide adequately nutritious meals in the home.

If you don't know how to prepare produce or soak and cook beans, or do anything in the kitchen besides heat up meals in a microwave, then you will be at a handicap to feed your family well.

Food Allergies

While food allergies alone typically won't make it impossible to get good nutrition, it can make it more difficult.

Whatever the case might be, lack of nutrition or too much of it plays a significant role. In fact, here are some of the ways that child development is affected by the way a child eats.

Intellectual Development

It's true that a lot of the child's intellect will be connected to the kind of nutrition he or she gets. As per a study conducted in 2010 published in The Journal of Nutrition, two- year-olds, who were undernourished had 16 percent more chances of failing or would break into school later, compared to children who had balanced nutrition.

Emotional Development

It isn't just intellect, even emotional development depends on nutrition. How?

Minerals such as calcium are critical in helping a child develop an emotional system. In fact, undernourished children have more chances of having autism, anxiety, depression, or even schizophrenia.

Behavioral Development

How children behave also stems from what they eat. It might be hard to believe.

In fact, for the first two years, if the child doesn't get adequate nutrition, they could show signs of becoming withdrawn, could be very less active and generally stay away from helping.

Food and behavior are also related as shown in this post. But the effects of nutrition on child development need to be looked at as well.

The numbers are staggering. Most three-year- olds in America are not as healthy as they seem to be.

In fact, 90% of these children have poor to fair health and 31% of them are have regular hospital visits. So, it's essential for parents to understand that just feeding children is not enough, feeding them a balanced diet is important.

There are parents who are constantly worried about their children's growth. They often panic that their children are not growing the way they should. For such parents, this guide for food requirements for children would be very handy.

Instead of fretting over why the child's growth isn't as lightning fast as the other children around, keep track of these kinds of charts.

While we are talking about nutrition and growth, we also need to understand what the essential nutrition is that your children should be getting, and how a lack could derail their potential growth.

Nutrition in the Womb and Beyond

Nutrition starts even before the child is born. Mothers' nutrition during pregnancy impacts the brain development of the unborn child. Therefore, if the mother is under-nourished during pregnancy, the unborn baby's brain functions might not develop fully.

The process of providing the right kind of nutrition continues and the most important form of nutrition a child should get is breast milk. There are many benefits of breastfeeding, but one such benefit is that breastfed children are less likely to develop severe bouts of diarrhea, ear infections, or even rashes like eczema.

Iron and Iodine

Once the child grows up and starts consuming solid food, there are a few elements that need to be present in the food. For example, iron deficiency in children leads to slower nerve impulses, as iron is an important component of brain tissues. In fact, it is all the more important in the first two years of a child's life. If a child has iron deficiency during this period, it could lead to behavioral changes, and slower psychomotor development.

In fact, even iodine plays an important role in a child's overall development. A lack of iodine in a child's diet could lead to reduced cognitive development. Some good sources of iodine include seaweed and other sea vegetables, fish (please eat those that are least likely to be contaminated by mercury and radiation), cranberries (that's surprising, isn't it?), organic yogurt, strawberries, navy beans, raw organic cheese and organic potatoes.

The Need for Breakfast

Skipping breakfast, which is quite common in children, isn't healthy either. This might lead to lower concentration powers, leading them to underperform in tests or on other tasks.

Here are some of Adrienne's favorite easy breakfasts that are kid-friendly:

Chia Puddings including this Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding and Berry Mousse
Homemade Protein Bars
Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Bars
Buckwheat Granola

Finally, child nutrition isn't just about keeping your kids's tummies full.

It's about planning a balanced meal that is as nutritious as possible for them, because what they eat goes a long way in determining how they grow, behave, and perform.

What is the biggest challenge you've had in feeding your kids well?

Sources:
https://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/articles/updates/nutrition-and-early-brain-development
https://www.livestrong.com/article/465374-how-poor-nutrition-affects-child-development/
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/iodine-foods/

Aradhana is a writer from India. Her areas of knowledge include parenting, children with special needs, health and lifestyle. She loves being outdoors and her hobbies include cycling and hiking. Aradhana has a special interest in children with special needs and parenting and shares her experiences through her other passion, writing. She writes to share her knowledge so that it may help others. Her posts on these subjects have been published on more than 250+ various reputed sites like the Huffington post, SheKnows, Mom Junction and many more. Aradhana writes to inspire and motivate people to adopt healthy habits and live a stress-free lifestyle.

Come join our Healthy Living Community on Facebook

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nutrition and Child Development - What You Need to Know - Whole New Mom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How does nutrition affect child development? We all come across various parenting goals on various websites. There are goals about achieving athletic goals, reaching academic achievements, and many more thing. But in reality, many parenting goals revolve around children and their eating habits.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Paula Lavis, Co-ordinator of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition
As social beings, the capacity to form and maintain relationships is essential to us and how we function within society. It is a key component to being mentally healthy, and having a positive sense of wellbeing.

This is true for children and young people of all ages, from the very early years through to the teenage years.

The first two years of a baby's life are crucial to their development and future mental health and wellbeing. The brain is developing and it is at its most adaptable during these early years of life. So how we interact with the child can be critical for their healthy development.

Quality of relationship

Parents and carers will have a relationship with their child, but it is the quality of the relationship that is important. A consistent and sensitive relationship is needed, to ensure that babies form a secure attachment or bond with their parents. There is lots written about attachment theory elsewhere, but the gist of it from a psychological perspective is that it is about how babies use their relationships with their main carer to set-up an expectation about themselves and their relationships with others.

A securely attached child will learn that their parents/carer will comfort them when they are distressed, and they will develop a sense that they are worthy of being consoled and loved. This is essential for healthy development in the child, and will set them up for a good start in life. Children who are securely attached are better able to manage their own feelings and behaviours and better able to relate to others. This gets babies off to a good start in terms of their social development as well.

As children grow up, their ability to form and sustain relationships - be that with peers, parents, teachers etc. is crucial. Most children will naturally acquire these skills as they develop. However, there are some children who, for various reasons need some help with this.

There are various social and emotional learning programmes that work in or with schools, and can help with various things including how people get on with each other. There is some evidence to indicate that these programmes are very helpful both in terms of social and emotional learning, but they also can improve attainment as well.

Support our vital work with children, young people and families

The important thing to emphasis here is that whilst these programmes are evidence based, they need to be implemented properly to achieve these positive results. The Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition advocates that these programmes promoting social and emotional learning are set within a whole-school approach to promoting mental health and wellbeing.

Not just humans

Our relationships aren't confined to humans. This is probably not for everyone, but we can have very positive relationships with our pets. These relationships can have a positive impact on both our physical and mental health.

For instance, they can help reduce stress and bring down blood pressure. Perhaps the strangest, is that dogs have been shown to help children who have difficulties with their reading. There are a few schools in the country that have 'employed' specially trained dogs to help children with their reading. It seems that part of the appeal, as long as you like dogs, is that they are non-judgemental, aren't critical and just cute. This encourages the child to want to be with the dog and read to it.

Difficulties forming relationships

We know that there are some children who may have particular problems forming relationships. This may include children with a learning disability, autism spectrum disorders and so on. Whilst they have particular needs, it doesn't mean that they can't form relationships.

But people around them need to give more consideration to how they can help them build relationships. Building a ' Circle of Friends ' around the person can be very helpful - and can be used with adults as well as children. Often people don't know how to engage with someone with a learning disability. So Circles of Friends is a useful tool to help create this support network around the person. This is enormously important regarding their mental health as about 36% of children with a learning disability live with a mental health problem.

The impact of poor relationships

Children's relationships with their parents, siblings and wider family, and then of course their peers and other adults such as teachers are incredibly important. Whilst they can have a very positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing, when they aren't good they can have a very negative impact on us. For instance poor relationships both within families and peers are a common trigger for self-harming behaviours.

We know that other issues such as bullying, or relationships difficulties between parents can have an extremely negative impact on the child's mental health.

Relationships within families can become difficult when the child (or adult for that matter) is ill. A stressful thing for any family is when their child is seriously ill, and this is possibly even worse when a child has mental health problems.

Your child being seriously ill is bad enough, but the sad reality for many children and young people with serious mental health problems is that when they need to be admitted to hospital, they often have to travel miles, sometimes across the other side of the country, to find a bed. Being in hospital as a child is awful, but if you are miles away from your family, which many are, it can be horrendous.

While young people will no doubt form relationships with their peers on the wards, and hopefully with practitioners as well; it is a time when they need those strong and secure relationships that families and good friends can provide. If your child is miles away, it is very difficult to provide this support on a day-to-day basis. If you as a parent are stressed, this will impact on the rest of the family and your relationship with them.

Relationships are important on so many levels, and across the life course. But, if we can make sure that babies, children and young people are able to form and maintain positive relationships in ways that make sense to them, then this will help get them off to a good start in life and support their mental development.

This is important for children and young people themselves, but also their families, friends and the communities they live in.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why relationships are so important for children and young people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Paula Lavis, Co-ordinator of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition As social beings, the capacity to form and maintain relationships is essential to us and how we function within society. It is a key component to being mentally healthy, and having a positive sense of wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.body
Can be developed through
- riding a bike
- walking

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Acquiring motor skills is an important part of child development that allows children to participate in physical activities and achieve age-appropriate developmental milestones. These skills also require motor planning -that is, the ability to think through and act upon a plan for motion.

For example, if a child has the strength and muscle tone to climb the ladder of a slide, but they can't place their feet in the right spots and in the right order to reach the top, they may have poor motor planning skills. Here is what you need to know about gross motor skills.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills are those used to move the arms, legs, and torso in a functional manner. These skills involve moving the large muscles of the body in order to perform actions such as walking, jumping, kicking, sitting upright, lifting, and throwing a ball.

Gross motor skills are distinguished from fine motor skills -​the ability to use hands and feet for complex, small muscle activities. Even though these sets of skills may appear similar, since they both involve using muscles and motor planning, they are actually controlled by different parts of the brain.

Developmental Milestones for Gross Motor Skills

It can be tricky to determine whether your child is meeting the full set of developmental guidelines. Perhaps surprisingly, very young children should be able to manage rather complex gross motor tasks.

If a Child Is Late Reaching a Milestone

All children develop at different rates. Lists of developmental milestones provide a general idea of when children acquire these skills and in what order. Just as with other skills, there may be considerable individual differences when it comes to gross motor skill development.

Some kids may hit these milestones quite early, while others may not achieve them until later. If your child is behind the targets listed above, they may just need more time to catch up.

But it's also possible that gross motor skill delays could be due to a medical condition. For example, low muscle tone (hypotonia) is a characteristic of Down syndrome, as well as some muscle and central nervous system disorders.

Reasons for Gross Motor Skills Delays

In order to develop gross motor skills, kids need to have certain abilities and master certain concepts. These include:

Muscle strength/tone

Balance

Coordination

Stability and posture

Motor learning

If your child seems to be struggling with gross motor skills, it could be a sign of a problem that requires intervention and treatment. Talk about your concerns with your doctor if you believe there might be a physical problem interfering with your child's gross motor skill development.

If your child seems to be far behind their peers, a conversation with your pediatrician is a good idea.

What to Do If You Suspect a Delay

Your physician will monitor your child's gross motor development during regular checkups to ensure that they are meeting developmental milestones. However, contact your doctor immediately if you notice changes in your child's ability to perform movements or skills that they used to be able to do.

Parents and teachers may very well be the first to notice problems, as they observe a child's actions every day.

Evaluation by a pediatrician, as well as a physical therapist or occupational therapist, can determine how severe the problem is and begin the process of establishing a helpful course of therapy to improve your child's gross motor skills.

Interventions for Motor Skills Delays

The treatment that's recommended will depend on the type, severity, and nature of the delay.

In some cases, gross motor skill delays may not require specific intervention and will resolve as the child continues to grow. In other cases, your doctor may recommend home exercises or physical therapy to improve strength, muscle tone, coordination, balance, and body control.

For children in academic settings who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), an IEP team will use therapists' assessments and other evaluation data to determine if your child needs regular therapy as a related service. If your child needs therapy to benefit from specially designed instruction, these services will be written into the individual education program.

Why It's Important to Address Delays

Gross motor skills play an important part in a child's development, and these abilities tend to build upon each other progressively. Learning to walk, for example, allows children to develop more advanced skills such as running and jumping.

There are a number of reasons why gross motor skills are so critical to child development and why it is so important to address delays as early as possible.

Gross Motor Ability Is a Critical Life Skill

Gross motor skills are important for major body movement such as walking, maintaining balance, coordination, and reaching. These abilities share connections with other physical functions. Such skills are important for play, sports, and fitness. They are also connected to other actions necessary for daily living and academic success.

Everyday functions such as walking and playing, as well as vital self-care skills such as getting out of bed and climbing stairs, are dependent upon gross motor skills.

Gross Motor Skills Can Impact Academic Skills

Delays in gross motor skills can also lead to problems with fine motor abilities. A child's ability to maintain upper body support, for example, will affect their ability to write.

Writing is a fine motor skill, but many aspects of it hinge on gross motor movements. Students with poor gross motor development may have difficulty with activities such as writing, sitting up in an alert position, sitting erect to watch classroom activity, and writing on a whiteboard.

Early intervention is also important because gross motor development may have an impact on a child's cognitive and motor abilities as they grow older. In one study looking at children with learning disabilities, researchers found poor gross motor skills were linked to learning lags, including problems with reading and math.

A Word From Verywell

Children grow and develop in stages and as with other skills, motor skills develop from infancy through elementary school years.

Monitoring the development of these gross motor skills is a good way to determine if your child is on track, but it is also important to remember that all kids develop at different rates. Some children might achieve a milestone such as walking by nine months of age, while others may several months past their first birthday before they achieve this milestone.

If you do suspect that your child may have a delay in gross motor development, discuss your concerns with your child's pediatrician.

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Westendorp M, Hartman E, Houwen S, Smith J, Visscher C. The relationship between gross motor skills and academic achievement in children with learning disabilities. Res Dev Disabil. 2011;32(6):2773-2779. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.05.032

Additional Reading

Piek JP, Dawson L, Smith LM, Gasson N. The role of early fine and gross motor development on later motor and cognitive ability. Hum Move Sci. 2008;27(8):668-681. doi:10.1016/j.humov.2007.11.002

By Ann Logsdon
Ann Logsdon is a school psychologist specializing in helping parents and teachers support students with a range of educational and developmental disabilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Could Your Child Have Gross Motor Skill Delays?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about how gross motor skills develop in children, and find out about signs and symptoms of delays.

# data[].attributes.body
Developed through activities such as;
- bead threading
- coloring
- finger painting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If your child struggles with tasks like writing, drawing and using scissors you may have heard people mention the term fine motor skills when describing the challenges. But what are fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills are the ability to make movements using the small muscles in our hands, wrists and fingers. Kids rely on these skills to do key tasks in school and in everyday life.

Read more about fine motor skills and how they can affect learning.

What Are Fine Motor Skills?

We use fine motor skills to make small movements. These movements come so naturally to most people that we usually don't think about them. Fine motor skills are complex, however. They involve the coordinated efforts of the brain and muscles, and they're built on the gross motor skills that allow us to make bigger movements.

Fine motor skills aren't specific learning skills like reading or math are. But they directly impact how well kids are able to learn and show what they know. For instance, kids need fine motor skills to circle an answer in a bubble on a test or write an essay or response.

Kids need to use fine motor skills to do many school-related tasks. These include:

Holding a crayon or pencil

Drawing pictures and writing neatly

Stacking blocks and stringing beads

Using scissors, rulers and other tools

Kids also need fine motor skills to do daily tasks like getting dressed and brushing their teeth. (Watch an expert demonstrate how to help kids with motor skills issues learn self-care routines.)

Trouble With Fine Motor Skills

Kids develop at different rates. But there are milestones they generally meet at certain ages. This includes fine motor milestones. For instance, at ages 5 or 6, kids can typically copy shapes and letters, and use a fork and spoon with control. At 9 or 10, they can typically draw and use tools like a ruler without becoming too frustrated.

But some kids struggle with these skills for a long time. Ongoing trouble with motor skills might be a sign of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), which people sometimes refer to as dyspraxia. Kids with dysgraphia, a learning issue that impacts writing, may also have trouble with fine motor skills.

Difficulties with fine motor skills often aren't identified until preschool when teachers see that kids are struggling. There are things schools can do to help, however.

Kids with weak fine motor skills might get occupational therapy (OT) through an IEP or a 504 plan. (You can also pay for private OT or use private health insurance.) Another way schools might help is to provide accommodations like pencil grips and wide-lined paper for writing.

Building Fine Motor Skills at Home

Your child might be able to get support at school if fine motor skills are a challenge. But there are things you can do at home to improve your child's abilities, too.

If you're concerned that your child is struggling with fine motor skills, learn about steps you can take. And get tips for talking to your child's teacher about issues with motor skills. Together, you can come up with a plan to get the best support for your child.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fine Motor Skills: What You Need to Know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If your child struggles with tasks like writing, drawing and using scissors you may have heard people mention the term fine motor skills when describing the challenges. But what are fine motor skills? Fine motor skills are the ability to make movements using the small muscles in our hands, wrists and fingers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/hw265266

Is it an emergency?

If you or someone in your care has chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding, it could be a life-threatening emergency. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number immediately.

If you are concerned about a possible poisoning or exposure to a toxic substance, call Poison Control now at 1-800-567-8911.

Thanks to our partners and endorsers:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
delayed articulatory and language development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
delayed articulatory and language development (finding)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
growth and development education (procedure)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/hw265266 Is it an emergency? If you or someone in your care has chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding, it could be a life-threatening emergency. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number immediately. If you are concerned about a possible poisoning or exposure to a toxic substance, call Poison Control now at 1-800-567-8911.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is Social & Emotional Development | Child Mental Health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As parents, we all want our children to be healthy and happy. It's easier to tell if your child is development physically, but do you know if your child is developing the appropriate social and emotional skills? Supporting their emotional and social development is just as important as supporting their physical development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Definition

Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

Description

It was once believed that infants lacked the ability to think or form complex ideas and remained without cognition until they learned language. It is now known that babies are aware of their surroundings and interested in exploration from the time they are born. From birth, babies begin to actively learn. They gather, sort, and process information from around them, using the data to develop perception and thinking skills.

Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of his or her world through the interaction of genetic and learned factors. Among the areas of cognitive development are information processing, intelligence , reasoning, language development , and memory.

Historically, the cognitive development of children has been studied in a variety of ways. The oldest is through intelligence tests, such as the widely used Stanford Binet Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test first adopted for use in the United States by psychologist Lewis Terman (1877-1956) in 1916 from a French model pioneered in 1905. IQ scoring is based on the concept of "mental age," according to which the scores of a child of average intelligence match his or her age, while a gifted child's performance is comparable to that of an older child, and a slow learner's scores are similar to those of a younger child. IQ tests are widely used in the United States, but they have come under increasing criticism for defining intelligence too narrowly and for being biased with regard to race and gender.

In contrast to the emphasis placed on a child's native abilities by intelligence testing, learning theory grew out of work by behaviorist researchers such as John Watson (1878-1958) and B. F. Skinner (1904-1990), who argued that children are completely malleable. Learning theory focuses on the role of environmental factors in shaping the intelligence of children, especially on a child's ability to learn by having certain behaviors rewarded and others discouraged.

Piaget's theory of cognitive development

The most well-known and influential theory of cognitive development is that of French psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Piaget's theory, first published in 1952, grew out of decades of extensive observation of children, including his own, in their natural environments as opposed to the laboratory experiments of the behaviorists. Although Piaget was interested in how children reacted to their environment, he proposed a more active role for them than that suggested by learning theory. He envisioned a child's knowledge as composed of schemas, basic units of knowledge used to organize past experiences and serve as a basis for understanding new ones.

Schemas are continually being modified by two complementary processes that Piaget termed assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation refers to the process of taking in new information by incorporating it into an existing schema. In other words, people assimilate new experiences by relating them to things they already know. On the other hand, accommodation is what happens when the schema itself changes to accommodate new knowledge. According to Piaget, cognitive development involves an ongoing attempt to achieve a balance between assimilation and accommodation that he termed equilibration.

At the center of Piaget's theory is the principle that cognitive development occurs in a series of four distinct, universal stages, each characterized by increasingly sophisticated and abstract levels of thought. These stages always occur in the same order, and each builds on what was learned in the previous stage. They are as follows:

Sensorimotor stage (infancy): In this period, which has six sub-stages, intelligence is demonstrated through motor activity without the use of symbols. Knowledge of the world is limited, but developing, because it is based on physical interactions and experiences. Children acquire object permanence at about seven months of age (memory). Physical development (mobility) allows the child to begin developing new intellectual abilities. Some symbolic (language) abilities are developed at the end of this stage.

Pre-operational stage (toddlerhood and early childhood): In this period, which has two sub stages, intelligence is demonstrated through the use of symbols, language use matures, and memory and imagination are developed, but thinking is done in a non-logical, non-reversible manner. Egocentric thinking predominates.

Concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence): In this stage, characterized by seven types of conservation (number, length, liquid, mass, weight, area, and volume), intelligence is demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects. Operational thinking develops (mental actions that are reversible). Egocentric thought diminishes.

Formal operational stage (adolescence and adulthood): In this stage, intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts. Early in the period there is a return to egocentric thought. Only 35 percent of high school graduates in industrialized countries obtain formal operations; many people do not think formally during adulthood.

The most significant alternative to the work of Piaget has been the information-processing approach, which uses the computer as a model to provide new insight into how the human mind receives, stores, retrieves, and uses information. Researchers using information-processing theory to study cognitive development in children have focused on areas such as the gradual improvements in children's ability to take in information and focus selectively on certain parts of it and their increasing attention spans and capacity for memory storage. For example, researchers have found that the superior memory skills of older children are due in part to memorization strategies, such as repeating items in order to memorize them or dividing them into categories.

Infancy

As soon as they are born, infants begin learning to use their senses to explore the world around them. Most newborns can focus on and follow moving objects, distinguish the pitch and volume of sound, see all colors and distinguish their hue and brightness, and start anticipating events, such as sucking at the sight of a nipple. By three months old, infants can recognize faces; imitate the facial expressions of others, such as smiling and frowning; and respond to familiar sounds.

At six months of age, babies are just beginning to understand how the world around them works. They imitate sounds, enjoy hearing their own voice, recognize parents, fear strangers, distinguish between animate and inanimate objects, and base distance on the size of an object. They also realize that if they drop an object, they can pick it up again. At four to seven months, babies can recognize their names.

By nine months, infants can imitate gestures and actions, experiment with the physical properties of objects, understand simple words such as "no," and understand that an object still exists even when they cannot see it. They also begin to test parental responses to their behavior, such as throwing food on the floor. They remember the reaction and test the parents again to see if they get the same reaction.

At 12 months of age, babies can follow a fast moving object; can speak two to fours words, including "mama" and "papa"; imitate animal sounds; associate names with objects; develop attachments to objects, such as a toy or blanket; and experience separation anxiety when away from their parents. By 18 months of age, babies are able to understand about 10-50 words; identify body parts; feel a sense of ownership by using the word "my" with certain people or objects; and can follow directions that involve two different tasks, such as picking up and putting them in a box.

Toddlerhood

Between 18 months to three years of age, toddlers have reached the "sensorimotor" stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development that involves rudimentary thought. For instance, they understand the permanence of objects and people, visually follow the displacement of objects, and begin to use instruments and tools. Toddlers start to strive for more independence, which can present challenges to parents concerned for their . They also understand discipline and what behavior is appropriate and inappropriate, and they understand the concepts of words like "please" and "thank you."

Two-year-olds should be able to understand 100 to 150 words and start adding about ten new words per day. Toddlers also have a better understanding of emotions, such as love, trust, and fear. They begin to understand some of the ordinary aspects of everyday life, such as shopping for food, telling time, and being read to.

Preschool

Preschoolers, ages three to six, should be at the "preoperational" stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory, meaning they are using their imagery and memory skills. They should be conditioned to learning and memorizing, and their view of the world is normally very self-centered. Preschoolers usually have also developed their social interaction skills, such as playing and cooperating with other children their own age. It is normal for preschoolers to test the limits of their cognitive abilities, and they learn negative concepts and actions, such as talking back to adults, lying , and bullying. Other cognitive development in preschoolers are developing an increased attention span, learning to read, and developing structured routines, such as doing household chores.

School age

Younger school-age children, six to 12 years old, should be at the "concrete operations" stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory, characterized by the ability to use logical and coherent actions in thinking and solving problems. They understand the concepts of permanence and conservation by learning that volume, weight, and numbers may remain constant despite changes in outward appearance. These children should be able to build on past experiences, using them to explain why some things happen. Their attention span should increase with age, from being able to focus on a task for about 15 minutes at age six to an hour by age nine.

Adolescents, ages 12 through 18, should be at the "formal operations" stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory. It is characterized by an increased independence for thinking through problems and situations. Adolescents should be able to understand pure abstractions, such as philosophy and higher math concepts. During this age, children should be able to learn and apply general information needed to adapt to specific situations. They should also be able to learn specific information and skills necessary for an occupation. A major component of the passage through adolescence is a cognitive transition. Compared to children, adolescents think in ways that are more advanced, more efficient, and generally more complex. This ability can be seen in five ways.

First, during adolescence individuals become better able than children to think about what is possible, instead of limiting their thought to what is real. Whereas children's thinking is oriented to the here and now-that is, to things and events that they can observe directly-adolescents are able to consider what they observe against a backdrop of what is possible; they can think hypothetically.

Second, during the passage into adolescence, individuals become better able to think about abstract ideas. For example, adolescents find it easier than children to comprehend the sorts of higher-order, abstract logic inherent in puns, proverbs, metaphors, and analogies. The adolescent's greater facility with abstract thinking also permits the application of advanced reasoning and logical processes to social and ideological matters. This is clearly seen in the adolescent's increased facility and interest in thinking about interpersonal relationships, politics, philosophy, religion, and morality.

Third, during adolescence individuals begin thinking more often about the process of thinking itself, or metacognition. As a result, adolescents may display increased introspection and self-consciousness. Although improvements in metacognitive abilities provide important intellectual advantages, one potentially negative byproduct of these advances is the tendency for adolescents to develop a sort of egocentrism, or intense preoccupation with the self.

A fourth change in cognition is that thinking tends to become multidimensional, rather than limited to a single issue. Whereas children tend to think about things one aspect at a time, adolescents can see things through more complicated lenses. Adolescents describe themselves and others in more differentiated and complicated terms and find it easier to look at problems from multiple perspectives. Being able to understand that people's personalities are not one-sided or that

SOURCE : Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, 5th ed . and Child Development Institute, http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com.

One month

Watches person when spoken to.

Two months

Smiles at familiar person talking. Begins to follow moving person with eyes.

Four months

Shows interest in bottle, breast, familiar toy, or new surroundings.

Five months

Smiles at own image in mirror. Looks for fallen objects.

Six months

May stick out tongue in imitation. Laughs at peekaboo game. Vocalizes at mirror image. May act shy around strangers.

Seven months

Responds to own name. Tries to establish contact with a person by cough or other noise.

Eight months

Reaches for toys out of reach. Responds to "no."

Nine months

Shows likes and dislikes. May try to prevent face-washing or other activity that is disliked. Shows excitement and interest in foods or toys that are well-liked.

Ten months

Starts to understand some words. Waves bye-bye. Holds out arm or leg for dressing.

Eleven months

Repeats performance that is laughed at. Likes repetitive play. Shows interest in books.

Twelve months

May understand some "where is...?" questions. May kiss on request.

Fifteen months

Asks for objects by pointing. Starting to feed self. Negativism begins.

Eighteen months

Points to familiar objects when asked "where is...?" Mimics familiar adult activities. Know some body parts. Obeys two or three simple orders.

Two years

Names a few familiar objects. Draws with crayons. Obeys found simple orders. Participates in parallel play.

Two-and-a-half years

Names several common objects. Begins to take interest in sex organs. Gives full names. Helps to put things away. Peak of negativism.

Three years

Constantly asks questions. May count to 10. Begins to draw specific objects. Dresses and undresses doll. Participates in cooperative play. Talks about things that have happened.

Four years

May make up silly words and stories. Beginning to draw pictures that represent familiar things. Pretends to read and write. May recognize a few common words, such as own name.

Five years

Can recognize and reproduce many shapes, letters, and numbers. Tells long stories. Begins to understand the difference between real events and make-believe ones. Asks meaning of words.

social situations can have different interpretations depending on one's point of view permits the adolescent to have far more sophisticated and complicated relationships with other people.

Finally, adolescents are more likely than children to see things as relative, rather than absolute. Children tend to see things in absolute terms-in black and white. Adolescents, in contrast, tend to see things as relative. They are more likely to question others' assertions and less likely to accept facts as absolute truths. This increase in relativism can be particularly exasperating to parents, who may feel that their adolescent children question everything just for the sake of argument. Difficulties often arise, for example, when adolescents begin seeing their parents' values as excessively relative.

Common problems

Cognitive impairment is the general loss or lack of development of cognitive abilities, particularly autism and learning disabilities. The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) describes learning disabilities as a disorder that affects people's ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can show up in many ways, such as specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, or attention. Such difficulties extend to schoolwork and can impede learning to read or write or to do math. A child who has a learning disability may have other conditions, such as hearing problems or serious emotional disturbance. However, learning disabilities are not caused by these conditions, nor are they caused by environmental influences such as cultural differences or inappropriate instruction.

Parental concerns

As of 2004 it is widely accepted that a child's intellectual ability is determined by a combination of heredity and environment. Thus, although a child's genetic inheritance is unchangeable, there are definite ways that parents can enhance their child's intellectual development through environmental factors. They can provide stimulating learning materials and experiences from an early age, read to and talk with their children, and help children explore the world around them. As children mature, parents can both challenge and support the child's talents. Although a supportive environment in early childhood provides a clear advantage for children, it is possible to make up for early losses in cognitive development if a supportive environment is provided at some later period, in contrast to early disruptions in physical development, which are often irreversible.

When to call the doctor

If, by age three, a child has problems understanding simple directions or is perplexed when asked to do something simple, the parents or primary caregiver should consult a physician or pediatrician. The child may have a delay in cognitive development. Parents should also consult a healthcare professional if, after age three, their child's cognitive development appears to be significantly slower than their peers.

KEY TERMS

Autism -A developmental disability that appears early in life, in which normal brain development is disrupted and social and communication skills are retarded, sometimes severely.

Cognition -The act or process of knowing or perceiving.

Egocentric -Limited in outlook to things mainly relating to oneself or confined to one's own affairs or activities.

Learning disabilities -An impairment of the cognitive processes of understanding and using spoken and written language that results in difficulties with one or more academic skill sets (e.g., reading, writing, mathematics).

Metacognition -Awareness of the process of cognition.

Schemas -Fundamental core beliefs or assumptions that are part of the perceptual filter people use to view the world. Cognitive-behavioral therapy seeks to change maladaptive schemas.

Stanford-Binet intelligence scales -A device designed to measure somebody's intelligence, obtained through a series of aptitude tests concentrating on different aspects of intellectual functioning. An IQ score of 100 represents "average" intelligence.

BOOKS

Bjorklund, David F. Children's Thinking: Cognitive Development and Individual Differences. Stamford, CT: Wadsworth Publishing, 2004.

Pica, Rae. Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development Through Age-Appropriate Activity. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Thornton, Stephanie. Growing Minds: An Introduction to Children's Cognitive Development. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Wadsworth, Barry J. Piaget's Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development: Foundations of Constructivism , 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon, 2003.

PERIODICALS

Blumberg, Fran. C., and Lori M. Sokol. "Boys' and Girls' Use of Cognitive Strategy when Learning to Play Video Games." The Journal of General Psychology (April 2004): 151-58.

Dahl, Ronald. "Risk-Taking and Thrill-Seeking." Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow (June 2004): SS6-SS7.

Li, Xiaoming, and Melissa S. Atkins. "Early Childhood Computer Experience and Cognitive and Motor Development." Pediatrics (June 2004): 1715-22.

Thurber, Christopher A. "I Am. Therefore, I Think: Explanations of Cognitive Development." Camping Magazine (July-August 2003): 36-41.

Wacharasin, Chintana, et al. "Factors Affecting Toddler Cognitive Development in Low-Income Families: Implications for Practitioners." Infants & Young Children (April-June 2003): 175-81.

Zinner, Susan. "The Role of Cognitive Development in Pediatric Medical Decision-Making." Global Virtue Ethics Review (January 2004): N/A.

ORGANIZATIONS

Cognitive Development Society. University of North Carolina, PO 3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. Web site: http://www.cogdevsoc.org.

National Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 3615 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016. Web site: http://www.aacap.org.

WEB SITES

Developmental Psychology: Cognitive Development , 2004. Available online at http://www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/Areas/Developmental/CogDev-Child/index.htm (accessed November 9, 2004).

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development , 2003. Available online at http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html (accessed November 9, 2004).

Other articles you might like:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cognitive Development - stages, meaning, average, Definition, Description, Common problems

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. It was once believed that infants lacked the ability to think or form complex ideas and remained without cognition until they learned language.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Define Physical Development | Livestrong.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Physical development is the process that starts in human infancy and continues into late adolescent concentrating on gross and fine motor skills as well as puberty. Physical development involves developing control over the body, particularly muscles and physical coordination.

# data[].attributes.body
Does the home environment have an impact on a child's development?