2 Characteristics, Needs, and Significance of Various Stages of Child Development

K Arockia Maraichelvi

1. INTRODUCTION

Child development is the field of study devoted to understanding all aspects of human growth and development from conception through adolescence. However Human development is a field of study that includes all changes human beings experience throughout the lifespan. But the paper on Early childhood care, education, and development deals with only the first three stages of lifespan namely Prenatal period, Infancy and toddlerhood and Early childhood period. So the present module on the characteristics, needs, and significance of children was formulated in a way that the first three stages of lifespan were discussed for the early childhood educators to gain an insight of the basic requirements of children.

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the module you will be able to

• Understand the characteristics unique to the prenatal, infancy and toddlerhood and the early childhood period
• Realize the developmental tasks to be accomplished before the end of early childhood period and recognize the seriousness of not mastering these tasks and
• Gain insight into the needs – both physical and psychological – of children and get familiar with the ways of responding to those needs appropriately.

 3.  CHARACTERISTICS

Every stage of the lifespan is unique with the possession of certain common features.

This section of the module would deal with it.

3.1 Characteristics of the prenatal period

The prenatal period that begins at conception and ends at birth is the shortest lifespan stage, but the most important of all. This period lasts for approximately nine calendar months and is accompanied by six primary characteristics. Each of these features has got a tremendous lasting effect on the whole of the lifespan of a person. Let us see each of these characteristics in detail.

1. It is a time of hereditary endowment

Hereditary endowment serves as a foundation for development and is fixed once for all at this stage. Though environmental differences both before and after birth accounts either for a favourable or unfavourable development to a certain extent, it should be well realized that these changes are only quantitative but not qualitative.

2. It is the time for the hereditary potentials to develop

For the hereditary potentials to develop for the foetus, mother’s body and mind should be favourable to foster it, as unfavourable conditions stunt their development potentials. Though these potentials are hereditary by nature, environment influences it to a greater extent.

3. Sex of the newly created individual is fixed

The sex of the newly created individual is a part of the hereditary endowment, and hence the conditions of the mother’s body do not affect it.

4. Growth and development of a foetus is rapid

The foetus grows at a rapid rate when compared to any other period in the lifespan, as the individual grows from a pin-head sized small cell to an infant measuring approximately 19 to 20 inches in length and 3.2 to 3.4 kg in weight. In other words, the weight of an individual increases 11 million times from conception to birth.

Like growth, development is also rapid during the prenatal period. From a zygote which is just a round shaped cell, at the time of conception the foetus gets its human body with all external and internal body features before birth.

5. It is a time of hazards

The hazard is of both physical and psychological, and that pose a marked effect on the later development of the individual.

6. It is a time when significant others of the to-be-born form attitudes

The attitudes that are developed among the significant others of the newly created individuals define the way that the newborn is going to be treated in their early years.

3.2 Characteristics of infancy and babyhood

The period after birth to two years is accepted to be a critical lifespan stage. However, 0-2 years has got two distinctive subdivisions namely infancy and babyhood. As per Hurlock infancy begins with birth and ends within two weeks which then gets extended up to two years as a period of babyhood.

Let us analyze the characteristics unique to these two stages.

3.2.1 Infancy

There are five important characteristics of infancy by which it gets distinguished from babyhood. They are

1. It is the shortest period in the whole of the lifespan

As the period of infancy has to pass through a series of adjustment two major criterion had been set to identify the completion of infancy

a.Physiological criteria – Infancy gets completed as and when the infant start showing signs of developmental progress in the behavior

b.Psychological criteria – Infancy gets completed when the infant starts showing signs of developmental progress in the behaviour

2. It is a time of radical adjustments

The period of infancy requires radical adjustment on the part of the just born to get adapted to the very new external environment. Some infants accomplish these adjustments with ease, while some others find it difficult and even sometimes fail to do so. The major adjustments to be made are towards temperature changes, breathing, sucking, swallowing and elimination.

3. There is a plateau in development

The growth and development which was rapid during the prenatal period just come to a stop with birth. The new born loses weight and becomes less strong. After a week or two, the infant begins to improve. This plateau in growth and development helps the infant to make the radical adjustments.

4. It gives a preview of later development

 Though it is impossible to accurately predict the individuals future development with the development during infancy, the new born’s development provide cues for what to expect later.

5.  It is a period of hazards

Both physical and psychological hazards are common during this period

• Physical hazards occurs when an infant finds it so difficult in making the radical adjustments
• Psychological hazards happen when the attitude of the significant others of the infant is different.

3.2.2 Babyhood

Certain characteristics of babyhood though seen in other stages of lifespan, they are of particular importance to this period. Some of the most important characteristics are

1. Babyhood is the true foundation age

The whole of childhood, though regarded as foundation age, the true foundation is laid during the babyhood as many attitudes and patterns of emotional expression, and social behaviours are established during this period. Let us see the reasons of why the foundation laid at this stage is important.

a. The patterns that are established in early life either good or bad persist for the remaining life as studies had indicated.

b. As the correction in bahaviour could be easily made in young children, undesirable behaviours if any can be quickly erased off.

c.The early foundations very soon develop into habits which in turn influence the child’s lifelong behaviour.

d. Learning by experience plays a major role in development. Hence the experience provided to a young child can be controlled/directed to provide a positive influence.

2. It is an age of rapid growth and change

   As the growth becomes rapid, the changes in capacities also happen faster. Body proportion changes as the body parts other than the head start to grow at a great speed with an increase in height and weight. With the rapid physical change, the other domains like psycho-social and intellectual also undergo much change though not apparent.

3. It is an age of decreasing dependency

The babies gradually increase their independency because of their rapid development and achievement of body control. The control over their bodies helps them to sit, crawl, stand, walk and handle objects. Also, independency increases as they develop the ability to communicate their needs.

4. It is an age of increased individuality

With increased independence, the baby establishes his individuality by understanding the interests and abilities. Towards the end of babyhood, they no longer need the same food or the same sleep schedule. They want to be on their own, do things of their interests and explore their abilities.

5.It is the period of initiating social behavior

Through the behaviour of attachment, every child is keen to become a part of the social group. First and foremost they develop strong emotional tie with their mother, and when successful they try to establish a warm relationship with others.

6.It is an appealing age

Though not proportionate, the babies are always appealing with large heads, protruding abdomen, short limbs, tiny head, and feet. Moreover, they are still more appealing because of their dependency.

7.It marks the beginning of creativity

The babyhood period is a period of learning. Learning things at their own pace provides room for them to be creative or original. This, later on, lays a strong foundation for them to be more creative and conform to the societal patterns.

 8. It is a hazardous age

Some of the common hazards are illnesses, accidents, etc. however if the foundation is not effective, then certain psychological hazards may occur.

9.It marks the beginning of sex-role typing

The sex identifying traditions followed from the moment the baby is born leads to sex-role typing. The boys being dressed in blue clothes and girls in pink and the boy babies being discouraged from crying as it is role typed with girls.

3.3 Characteristics of early childhood

Certain characteristics that set the stage of early childhood apart from the other stages are described below.

1. It is a problem age or troublesome age

Early childhood period is also called a problem age as referred in the babyhood period, but the difference is that much care has to be taken around the baby’s physical care during babyhood and towards the manifestation and frequent behaviour problems during early childhood. Young children are often obstinate, stubborn, disobedient, negativistic and antagonistic. Also, they have frequent temper tantrums, irrational fears during daytime and bad dreams at night.

2. It is a less appealing age compared to babyhood

The child at this stage seems to be less appealing because of the troubles they cause, and their resistant behavior

3. It is a toy age

As toy play reaches its peak during early years, the child is found to be spending much of their time with toys and hence called toy age

4. It is called as the preschool age

Educators address the early childhood period as the preschool age to just differentiate their physical and mental maturity to cope up with the expectations of formal schooling.

5. It is called the pregang age

    This period is referred to as pregang age as they learn the foundations of social behavior and prepare themselves for a civilized social life.

 6. It is called as an exploratory age

As the children at this stage have increased curiosity to know about the things around them, how it works, how it feels and how they can get involved or be a part of it, they are referred to be explorative.

7. It is the questioning age

As they start exploring the environment, they seek to clarify their doubts by asking questions and hence called questioning age. They are also referred as walking question mark.

8. It is referred as creative age

Play during early childhood helps the children to be more creative when compared to any other stages of lifespan.

4.  DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS

Every person born in the universe is expected to learn and master certain survival skills and also acquire the patterns of approved behavior distinctive for every lifespan stages. These skills and behavior, when put together, is termed as developmental tasks. Havighurst, who coined the term developmental tasks defines it as ‘a task which arises at or about a certain period of life of the individual leading to either success or failure.‘

Success is the successful accomplishment that leads to happiness and ease in accomplishing later tasks Failure is the unsuccessful attempt leading to unhappiness and ease in accomplishing later tasks. The developmental tasks of every stage of lifespan arises due to three forces

1. Physical maturation – As and when an individual matures physically, they have the potential to develop and master certain skills/behaviour.

2. Cultural pressures of the society – When the society pressurizes the individual to do certain things he/she get acquainted with certain skills. eg. Learning to read

3. Personal values and aspirations – Once an individual starts to develop an identity he/she will have his/her values and aspirations which in turn motivate them to develop certain skills.

However, most of the developmental tasks at every stage of lifespan arise as all these three forces work together.

4.1 Importance of developmental tasks

The most important three uses of the developmental tasks are

1.They serve as the guideline for the parents and teachers of what to expect from a child at a particular age

2.In turn, these tasks serve as a motivating force for the child to understand what the society in general and the parents, in particular, expect from them

3.The tasks inform parents of what to expect from their child during their immediate or distant future and facilitate them in preparing their child to accomplish future tasks.

4.2 Developmental Tasks to be accomplished from birth to preschool stage

• Learning to walk
• Learning to take solid food
• Learning to talk
• Learning to control the elimination of body wastes
• Learning sex differences and sexual modesty
• Achieving physiological stability
• Forming simple concepts of social and physical reality
• Learning to relate oneself emotionally to parents, siblings, and others and
• Learning to distinguish right and wrong and develop conscience

4.3 Consequence of failure in mastering developmental tasks

Not every child born do accomplish the above said developmental tasks. The failure in doing so gives rise to serious consequences. They are

• The child feels inferior and hence feels unhappy
• The child faces social disapproval accompanied by rejection
• The child faces difficulty in accomplishing future tasks

   4.4 Factors influencing mastery over developmental tasks

• Above average intelligence
• Augmented physical development
• Increased energy for age
• Enriched environment
• Effective guidance from parents and teachers
• Strong motivation
• Enhanced creativity

   5.  NEEDS OF CHILDREN

Every human being has human needs. But children do have additional needs characteristic of their age and the context. Hence it becomes a profound responsibility of parents and caretakers, especially preschool educators to cater the basic and the developmental needs of children.

This section of the module briefs the basic and developmental needs of children and provides a better understanding of how to respond to children’s needs

5.1  Basic needs of children :

As understood, the three basic needs of any human beings serve as the need for children too. They are

• Food and shelter

Children differ from adults as they cannot get their food or acquire a reasonable shelter. Hence it is the responsibility of the parents to provide food and shelter for their living.

• Physical safety

Children become vulnerable and cannot protect themselves from any physical harm (caused by a stronger child or an aggressive adult etc.). This vulnerability necessitates help from parents and caretakers to keep themselves away from harm.

• Emotional security

This third basic need serves as a important need as the minds of children are still in the formative and developing stage. They need emotional support from their parents and caretakers to face any strange situations that might distress them.

5.2 Developmental needs:

• Social skills

This skill is very much needed to live and work with others. To live and work with others they should develop the listening and communication skill. Also, being aware of the social norms and regulations becomes important. Also, they need to persuade and change minds.

• Career abilities

Even as a child they need to learn all kinds of skills at school and at the community level to become an effective adult. It is also well realized that learning all type of career skills is not possible for which the child should constantly be exploring to discover his talents and the factors that motivate the same

• Internal skills

Internal skills include self-confidence and emotional maturity. The experiences or opportunities provided to them should enrich them in gaining those skills as these skills help them to be happy by coming up with difficulties in life.

So after knowing the needs of children, it is important to understand how to respond to these needs.

5.3 How to respond to children’s needs?

To respond to children’s needs the parents and caretakers should first understand the basic development milestones to be accomplished by children specific to their age. The following subheads as per the lifespan of 0-6 years talks about the milestones and the strategies to respond to the needs of children.

1. First year of life

Milestones- Attachment, communication, cooperation

Strategies

(a)Breastfeeding the baby exclusively for six months and continue up to a year the child becomes more emotionally attached and develop long-term intellectual benefits.

(b)Being warm, responsive and sensitive to the children’s need help them develop positive attachment and relationship.

(c)Though crying is the first stage of communication, the parent should understand that healthy babies rarely cry and moreover the length of the time and the intensity of crying diminishes by three months of age.

(d)Parents need to learn how to respond sensitively to their child’s temperament and adjust to the baby’s signals.

(e) Sharing toys with others interest in other children and adults also develop by the end of 1st year.

2.  1-3Years Milestones-  Independency,  language  development,  self-awareness,  control,  begin  mating friends, enhanced curiosity and creativity

Strategies:

(a)Building a bond that lasts a lifetime

(b)Impose rules and rules to protect the child but see that they are realistic

(c) To provide opportunities to express emotions verbally instead of having tantrums and to negotiate instead of making demands.

(d) Repeating words, identifying objects, asking questions frequently, reading and language department.

3. 3-6 Years:

Milestones become more verbal, enhanced imagination, empathize, form friends’ group,

cooperate to reach goals.

Strategies

• Provide opportunities for uninstructed play as this type of play helps children to imitate adults, improve motor skills, build confidence, develop creativity and learn to cooperate with others.
• Provide children opportunities to learn to guide their play by exposing them to long interrupted periods ( say 45-60 minutes/day) for free play.
• Sow the seeds of friendship by providing opportunities to socialize, improve communication skills, take charge of them own emotion and to control it.
•  Do not try to solve every small problem of the child. Instead, mediate them.

6. CONCLUSION

To sum up, hope this module had introduced you to the infancy and toddlerhood and early childhood stage of lifespan with insights of the unique features about every stage. Moreover, the developmental tasks of 0-6 years had been listed to facilitate you in recognizing the seriousness of not mastering the tasks as the society expects them to be mastered. Also, the needs of children specified would describe of how the parents /caretakers can respond and influence the holistic development of children.

Web links

• http://psychology.about.com/od/early-child-development/a/introduction-to-child-development.htm
• http://nimhindia.gov.in/HINDHI/CHILD%20DEVELOPMENT%20AN%20INTRODUCTIO N.pdf
• https://www.azdes.gov/uploadedFiles/Employment_and_Rehabilitation_Services/Child_Care /CCPT_Complete_Participant_English_377_pages.pdf