Child development process / periods

1.  Child development process / periods

Stages of Development

Developmental milestones cover a range of behaviors and transformations in a child’s faculties and personalities. Social norms and institutions, customs, and laws also influence these stages. There are three broad stages of development: early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. They are defined by the primary tasks of development in each stage.

Developmental milestones cover a range of behaviors and transformations in a child’s faculties and personalities. Social norms and institutions, customs, and laws also influence these stages.

There are three broad stages of development: early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. They are defined by the primary tasks of development in each stage.

Early Childhood (Birth to Eight Years)

Growth and development are most obvious during the first year, when a helpless newborn dramatically transforms into a moving, “talking, walking” whirlwind with a mind of her own. During this first year, parents likely will be marking development through development of obvious skills.

· In the first year, expect some socio-emotional development, when attachment formation becomes critical, especially with caregivers. Life functioning, personality, and relationships are shaped by the quality or lack of emotional attachment formed early in life.

· By 3 years a child doubles her height and quadruples her weight. She has mastered sitting, walking, toilet training, using a spoon, scribbling, and sufficient hand-eye coordination for play. She should be able to speak and understand between 300 and 1,000 words.

· Between 3-5 years – the preschool years – a child is growing rapidly and beginning to develop gross- and fine-motor skills. Physical growth slows and body proportions and motor skills become more refined. By five, her vocabulary will have grown to about 1,500 words, and she should be speaking in sentences of 5-7 words.

Middle Childhood (Eight to Twelve Years)

By eight, your child should be are able to understand some basic abstract concepts, including time and money. Her cognitive skills, personality, motivation, and interpersonal relationships will undergo refinement. You will be amazed watching her social circle grow and become more complex – with both children and those senior to her. The primary developmental task of middle childhood is integration – development within the individual and the social context. Physical development is less dramatic than in early childhood or adolescence. Until puberty, growth is fairly constant.

Adolescence (Twelve to Eighteen Years)

Adolescence is a time of diverse, confusing, even frightening changes due to significant physical, emotional and cognitive growth, new situations, responsibilities, and people. Frequent mood swings, depression, and other psychological disorders are common. Though usually attributed to hormones, your child will react to the challenges and struggles; expect fluctuating or inconsistent behaviors that will even out with time and maturity. 

During adolescence, expect your teen to experience accelerated periods of growth (while they are eating you out of house and home). Height can increase up to 4 inches and weight 8-10 pounds per year, although for some “late bloomers” a huge increase in height and weight can happen within a year – especially with boys. Adolescence is an important period for cognitive development, marking a transition in ways of thinking and reasoning about problems and ideas. Your teen will gain the ability to solve more abstract and hypothetical problems, but it is also a significant step toward independence and emotional development. Adolescents often rely on their peers, rather than family, for direction and emotional support (Rojas, 2018).