The toddler period covers two year's in the child's life from about one to three years of age. During the toddler period, there is rapid change. During this period of development the child acquires a sense of autonomy and independence through the mastery of various specialized tasks, such as control of bodily functions, refinement of motor and language skills, and becomes far more inquisitive...about everything. Because of children’s growing desire to be independent, this stage is often called the "terrible twos." However, this can be an exciting time for parents and toddlers.
For example the background of a child affects the child in many ways. Most children from broken or unstable family background with a lack of parental guidance, can lack self-esteem, may be withdrawn from their studies and have the tendency to be aggressive at school. Whereas children from stable family with both parents and parental guidance, would have confidence, there more likely to be attentive in class and emotionally stable. . Health It is important that a child has a healthy diet, a good sleeping pattern and lots of routine in their life to help them engage in physical activities.
Most children get distracted, act impulsively, and struggle to concentrate at one time or another. Sometimes, these normal factors may be mistaken for ADHD. ADHD symptoms usually appear early in life, often between the ages of 3 and 6, and because symptoms vary from person to person, the disorder can be hard to diagnose. Parents may first notice that their child loses interest in things sooner than other children, or seems constantly "out of control." Often, teachers notice the symptoms first, when a child has trouble following rules, or frequently "spaces out" in the classroom or on the
The concrete operational period is the most mentioned in the book. This is when a child learns the difference between manipulations of things versus symbols. The stresses of growing up to fast often result in troublesome behavior during adolescence. Children who experience repeated school failure are likely to acquire the orientation of learned helplessness (Elkind.2001. p.131).
The four stages include “sensorimotor” (birth to two years), the “preoperational”(two to six), the “concrete operational” (six to ten) and the “formal operational”(eleven and twelve). The concrete operational period is the most mentioned in the book. This is when a child learns the difference between manipulations of things versus symbols. During this period it is critical that a child learns to deal with their peers as equals unlike an adult-child relationship which is unilateral (where adults have control). Often children are “robbed” during this period because parents place, what the book refers to as, emotional and responsibility overload on their children.
The same is said for the development of emotional and social expectations for a child. Unlike physical development milestones, social, emotional and behavior development has much harder to observe. New skill such as self-awareness can be tough to spot, and others can be difficult or even impossible to see directly, this is mainly due to the child entering a school environment then these social and emotional skills become more important. The first three months from birth, babies are learning about themselves and every person around them. They start looking at their own hands and feet, sucking on their fingers, this also helps them to understand how the legs and arms are attached to the babies body.
Some of the children that will enter our classroom may come from undesirable environments. As early childhood educators it is our responsibility to find strategies that will help those with autism, ADHD, and other environmental issues, to change their challenging behaviors into one that would be more suitable for learning. Children with autism have challenging behavior because their brains deal information in a different way. These children have a hard time learning to take turns and sharing with others. Autistic children are known for self-stimulating behavior such as; flapping of their arms when upset.
Therefore, aggressive behaviour with other children would be expected, because the child’s parents have failed to form a stable mother-child relationship in his home environment. Infants, like Calum and his sister, who are malnourished may also experience a condition known as ‘non-organic failure to thrive’. This refers to the child’s weight, height and development falling significantly below age-appropriate ranges, without apparent organic cause. Even with treatment, the long-term consequences can include continued growth problems, retardation and socio-emotional deficits (Wallace, 1996). All these factors will have combined to make Calum that which he has become.
UNIT 4222-350 Outcome 4: Be able to engage with babies and young children and be sensitive to their needs. 3) Babies and young children cannot yet moderate or communicate their exact feelings. This can cause confusion and frustration for children and also confuse adults who may be trying to understand why a child is behaving in a certain way. It seems obvious, but It’s key to remember and rationalise, that as an adult you have gained the discipline to understand and moderate your own feelings during the process of growing up. Children and especially babies are at the beginning of this process, have not yet had the chance to master it and a child’s behaviour can look erratic and illogical if you do not take the time to focus back in on this.
Family can have a big effect on a child’s development for example if the child is an only child he / she will not know how to socialise with other children. If the child has a parent who has a long term illness then he / she is likely to spend a lot of time alone, so he / she would be withdrawn and `hang back` from many activities, also this child probably would spend most of his / her time indoors and their physical development might be delayed. If the child is abused or neglected he / she might be afraid of adults or children that are loud and this could affect all areas of development as the child would not be able to concentrate. Poverty can affect children`s development as children who are in poverty, would get less opportunities, as their family will not be able to afford to buy books, pens, puzzles and sports equipment. Also if the family cannot afford to buy enough food, the child might have trouble concentrating and absorbing information.