Understanding Child and Adolescent Development: Stages, Principles, and Characteristics, Summaries of Soil Mechanics and Foundations

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CHILD AND

ADOLESCENT

DEVELOPMENT

Prepared by: Dr. Mona Lisa O. Chagas



Human development is defined as the

process of enlarging people's freedoms

and opportunities and improving their

well-being. Human development is

about the real freedom ordinary people

have to decide who to be, what to do,

and how to live.

FOUR STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 

In these lessons, students become

familiar with the four key periods

of growth and human

development: infancy ( birth to 2 years

old), early childhood (3 to 8 years old),

middle childhood (9 to 11 years old),

and adolescence (12 to 18 years old)

Principles of Human Development



Development is relatively orderly



While the pattern of development is

likely to be similar, the outcomes of

developmental processes and the rate

of development are likely to vary

among individuals



Development takes place gradually



Development as a process is complex

because it is a product of biological,

cognitive and socioemotional processes

Characteristics of Life-span Development



Development is lifelong



Development is multidimensional



Development is plastic



Development is contextual



Development involves growth,

maintenance and regulation

Development Stages Development can be grouped into five broad stages:  Infancy (birth to 2 years)  Early Childhood (3 years to 7 years)  Middle Childhood (8 years to puberty, 11-13 years)  Adolescence (puberty, 12 years to approximately 18-21 years)  Adulthood

 These stages do not happen at exactly the same age for everyone. For example, one child may walk at one year of age, while another may still be crawling at one. For the purpose of this lesson we will look at the characteristics of the first four stages of development.

Infancy (birth to 2 years)  This is a stage of tremendous growth. An infant usually doubles in height and increase their weight four times. The bodily proportions change from the head being about one quarter of the body’s length to a more balanced adult-like appearance. They will begin learning gross motor skills such as sitting, crawling, walking, and toilet training, holding a spoon and scribbling.



Infants understand their world through

their senses such as touching, tasting,

listening, looking and smelling. Their

knowledge is based on physical actions

and their understanding is contained to

the present or immediate past. If the

infant is loved and well-handled, they will

develop trust, security and optimism.

Early Childhood (3 to 7 years) 

This is a time of continued rapid physical

growth, fine-motor (small muscle) and

gross-motor (large muscle)

development. The dependent infant now

grows into a young child who can take

care of his or her own body and interact

effectively with others. The main

development task of this stage is skill

development.

Physical Development  At three years of age the child’s level of activity is at a higher level than any other stage of their life. They can walk and run. This makes them very curious as they want to run and touch everything.  (^) Between ages 3 – 6 years, the child begins to develop their fine-motor skills (using small muscles), such as controlling pencils, crayons and scissors for beginning writing and drawing skills. Their gross motor skills (using large muscles) are also developing as they learn to skip. Balance on one foot, climb and dance.  (^) The physical growth slows down between 5 – 8 years of age while their motor skills improve and become more refined.

Cognitive development  The child’s cognitive (thinking) development is rapid during early childhood years because they are acquiring more language skills. By the age of five, a child’s vocabulary will grow to approximately 1,500 words. Five year olds are also able to use five to seven-word sentences when they are speaking.  Language is an important tool to enhance cognitive development. The child can communicate with others and solve problems. They have words for things they have experienced.

Socioemotional development  The healthy developing child in early childhood, learns:

1. To imagine and to broaden his or her skills through active play,
2. To cooperate with others and
3. To lead as well as to follow Play is very important for children at this stage because it enables them to use their developing language, thinking and social skills and contribute to their general personality development.

From ages three to five, growth in socio emotional skills includes:  The formation of peer relationships

• friendship groups, dance groups, pre- school and school classmates  Gender identification – aware of male and female differences and  The development of a sense of right and wrong – moral development

Middle childhood (8 years to puberty, 11-13 years)  This is the stage when children learn the ‘values’ of their culture. The development task of this stage could be called integration when the child is integrating their own development as well as integrating themselves into the wider social context (or cultural community). It is an important stage for the development of the cognitive skills, personality, motivation and inter-personal relationships. ( Motivation is the inner desire for actions towards achieving a goal. It gives purpose and direction to behavior.)

Physical development  The physical growth and development during middle childhood is slower than the early childhood or adolescence stages. Growth is slow and steady until the beginning of puberty.  Baby teeth come out and are replaced with permanent teeth during middle childhood years.

Cognitive development  Cognitive development in middle childhood is slow and steady. Children in this stage are building on the skills gained in early childhood. Their reasoning skills are based on rules. Although they are thinking and reasoning at a more mature level now, they still need concrete, hands- on learning activities



Middle childhood is a time when children

can gain enthusiasm for learning and

work. Their achievements can be

motivating as they work towards building

competence and self-esteem. However,

the skills required for academic success

become more complex at about Grade

three or four and some children’s school

performance levels may begin to change

at this stage.

Socioemotional development 

Middle childhood is time when children

are developing their interpersonal skills

and social relationships. Their best friends

are important at this age but they are still

strongly influenced by their family.



For many children, middle childhood is a

joyful time of increased independence,

friendships and developing interests such

as sports, music and arts.

Adolescence (puberty or 12 years to approximately 18-21 years)  This stage generally begins when an individual reaches sexual maturity (puberty) and ends when they become an adult within their social and cultural context. (Slavin, 2005)  In many cultures adolescence may not exist, or may vary short because reaching puberty may also coincide with responsibilities of becoming an adult (for example getting married

Physical development  The adolescent years are another period of rapid physical growth. By the end of adolescence, some individuals may gain a total of 18 – 23 centimeters in height and as much as 40 – 50 pounds weight (18- 22 kg). This growth often happens in ‘growth spurts’ of two years fast growth followed by three or more years of slow steady growth. This varies with individuals and with

 Sexual maturity (puberty) is the most significant physical development during adolescence. The age will vary with different individuals but generally females mature between 11-13 years and males at about 15 years.

Cognitive Development 

Adolescence is an important period for

cognitive development as individuals are

changing the way they think and reason

about problems and ideas. In early

adolescence (12-15 years), they think

logically about concrete objects and consider

more than one viewpoint at the one time.

However, at this early stage of adolescence,

they benefit more from direct experiences

than from abstract ideas and principles.

Socioemotional development  Adolescents experience new situations, new people and new responsibilities. It is a time when they are trying new roles (at high school and university or work), new ways of thinking and behaving. As they are trying to become more independent, they rely more on their peer group for direction regarding what is normal and accepted behavior. They begin to pull away from their family influence for identify and look to their peer group which may cause the adolescent and their family some conflict.