The Issue of Child Development - Essay Example

Child Development: A Thorough and Critical Review Child Development: A Thorough and Critical Review The issue of child development is one which is truly and incredibly complex, and so in order to be able to gain a proper and knowledgeable understanding on this issue, we truly need to focus on several different aspects, rather than just look at the matter straight on. There are so many major and minor factors that are involved in regards to a subject such as this, and each and every one must be carefully and thoroughly examined in order to be able to gain anywhere near a proper viewpoint on the subject matter at hand. Furthermore, the issue of child development is one which follows the developing of the child through all years of childhood, and this includes from basically birth until the teenage years; therefore, all of these years in between will be seriously and punctually studied and discussed, and by doing this we will be able to gain a more informed and critical viewpoint on the subject matter at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The study of child development truly and utterly encompasses that of all the human aspects of human growth from birth to adolescence, and this includes that of the progressive elaboration of the child's intellectual skills; personality development, involving the complex interaction between psychosocial factors and the stage-by-stage development of the body; and socialization, the process by which children adjust to society and its demands. As well, "Child development information can help parents know when they are expecting too much from a child as well as become aware of lags in development that may benefit from professional help." (Child Development Institution, 2006). The child development process begins at birth, and there is one matter that needs to be begun at the birth and then carried on throughout the child's life; this is the fact that you need to play with your child. While children are going to need their own space and thus have play time alone or with other children, research has shown that playtime with parents is truly also essential. Children actually crave playtime with their parents, and playing with your child is a bond that will last forever. There are many benefits that come from playing with your child as well, and that includes the fact that "It lets the child know he or she is loved and appreciatedas wellIt opens the door for sharing problems and concerns when the need arisesfurthermoreIt is also a great stress reducer for overworked parents." (Child, 2006). There are certain development milestones as well that are incredibly important to recognize, and this too begins right from the birth of the child, and then carries on through until adolescence. These developmental milestones include that of several different categories in particular, including: motor, speech, vision and hearing, and social development. We will being with the age of 4-6 weeks, which the child should be able to smile at the mother; 6-8 weeks the child should be able to vocalize at least a little bit; at 3 months, the child should be able to hold their head up for prolonged periods, with no grasp reflex, they should be talking a great deal, be able to follow dangling toys from side to side and be able to turn their head around, and they should be able to squeal with pleasure appropriately and discriminate smile; at 5 months, the child should be able to hold head steady, go for objects and get them, enjoy vocal play, smile at their mirror image; at 6 months, the child should be able to transfer objects from one hand to the other, be able to pull self up to sit and be able to sit erect with supports, be able to pronounce double syllable sounds such as 'mumum' and 'dada', localize sound 45cm lateral to either ear, and they may show 'stranger shyness'; at 9-10 months, the child should be wiggling and crawling, they should be able to sit unsupported, and be able to pick up objects with a pincer grasp, they should be able to babble tunefully, look for dropped toys, and be apprehensive about strangers; at 1 year, the child should be able to stand holding furniture, stand alone for a second or two before falling, babble 2 or 3 words repetitively, drop toys and watch where they go, cooperate with dressing, wave goodbye, and understand simple and basic commands; at 18 months, the child should be able to walk alone, pick up toy without falling over, get up and down stairs while holding onto the rail, begin to jump with both feet, can build a tower of 3 or 4 cubes and throw a ball, can say many intelligible words, demands constant mothering, drinks from a cup with both hands, feeds self with a spoon; at 2 years, the child should be able to run, walk up and down stairs 2 feet per step, build tower of 6 cubes, join 2-3 words in a sentence, and complete parallel play, dry by day; at 3 years, the child should be able to go up stairs 1 foot per step and downstairs 2 foot per step, copy circle, imitate cross and draw man on request, build tower of 9 cubes, constantly ask questions, speak in sentences, have cooperative play, undress with assistance, and have imaginary companions; at 4 years, the child should be able to go down stairs one foot per step, skip on one foot, imitate game with cubes, copy a cross, question at its height, dress and undress with assistance, and attend to own toilet needs; at 5 years, the child should be able to skip on both feet and hop, draw a man and copy a triangle, and give their age, have fluent speech with few infantile substitutions, dress and undress alone; at 6 years, the child should be able to copy a diamond, know right from left and number of fingers, and have fluent speech. All of these key developments are of the utmost importance in regards to the child and keeping the child on track; if you notice that they are lagging in one area or another, then you will at least be able to recognize this and thus do something about it rather than not noticing, letting it go for a longer amount of time, and more than likely just making the situation more difficult and harder to get by in the end. The early years of a child's life are the ones that are most crucial in regards to many different areas of their development, including that of cognitive, social, and emotional development. It is therefore extremely important that we make serious note of this and that we take every possible step necessary to ensure that the children are able to grow up in environments where their social, emotional, and educational needs are met properly and punctually. After all, research shows that "Children who grow up in environments where their developmental needs are not met are at an increased risk for compromised health and safety, and learning and developmental delays. Failure to invest time and resources during children's early years may have long term effects on the foster care, health care, and education systems. Therefore, it is in the public's interest to ensure that children develop in safe, loving, and secure environments." (CDC, 2006). There are many other issues that must be discussed in relation to child development as a whole, and this includes that of the following topics: divorce and its impact on children, advertising and media violence, physical punishment, nature-nurture, and children and computers. All of these issues are incredibly significant and influence a child's development very seriously; this is why they must all be thoroughly examined and discussed in reference to the topic at hand. In regards to divorce and its impact on children, this is truly one of the most monumental side factors, as the percentage of parents who are getting divorced these days is incredibly increased from that of even just a decade ago. Therefore, more and more children have to deal with the divorce of their parents and thus a break up and abnormality of their family and this is affecting the children in very negative ways. Research shows that roughly one out of two marriages today ends in divorce, and most of these divorcing families have children involved. While the parents are certainly going through a very difficult times themselves, it is the children who suffer the most, as they have no outlets or vents, personal or social, that they can use in order to get rid of the overwhelming emotions that they are feeling at this time. Rather, they have to keep them locked up inside, which can be incredibly confusing and detrimental, especially to the younger children; it is important to realize the differences in age of the children however, as an infant will not yet be able to recognize the fact that his parents are getting divorced and so for the time being at least, he or she will not be put through as much turmoil and distress as a child who is knowledgeable of what is going on would be, say around 3-7. As well, "Children often believe they have caused the conflict between their mother and father. Many children assume the responsibility for bringing their parents back together, sometimes by specifying themselves. Vulnerability to both physical and mental illnesses can originate in the traumatic loss of one or both parents through divorce." (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). However, it should also be known that there are certain things that you can do in order to get by this, after all with care and attention, a family's strengths can be mobilized during a divorce, and thus children can be helped and be able to deal constructively with the resolution of parental conflict; rather, it is when the children involved are ignored and thought of as being completely ignorant to the situation that is happening - this is when problems truly start to arise. You need to take serious and prompt action in regards to comforting and explaining to your children during a time of divorce, not look the other way and hope that they are not noticing. In regards to the issue of advertising and media violence, this is again an incredibly important issue, as the increased amount of advertising and media violence that is out there today has been considered as having a significantly detrimental affect on our children. Research shows that American children watch approximately three to four hours of television a day, and television truly can be a powerful influence in regards to the development of our children; it has been shown to be able to significantly affect value systems and behaviors of children, and so we must take the issue of television and of what our children are watching on television into the most serious consideration. Hundreds of studies of the effects of television violence on children and teenagers alike today have found that children may: become 'immune' or numb to the horror of violence, gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems, imitate the violence that they observe on television, and identify with certain characters or victims. This can obviously thus be quite catastrophic, and once your children's developmental patterns are disrupted, there is really nothing that you can do to turn the clock back and start over, although there are certain things that you can do in order to attempt at fixing the problem. It is known that extensive viewing of television violence by children causes much greater aggressiveness and sometimes, watching even a single program can increase aggressiveness, and so therefore this situation must be taken incredibly serious and without hesitation. In regards to the issue of physical punishment, although it may seem as though parents are becoming more understanding and more vulnerable, this is actually not true, as the statistics on physical child abuse are alarming. "It is estimated hundreds of thousands of children are physically abused each year by a parent or close relativeEarly recognition and treatment is important to minimize the long term effect of physical abuse." (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). There are many developmental issues that are caused by physical abuse upon children, and that includes the following: a poor self image, sexual acting out, inability to trust or love others, aggressive and disruptive behavior, anger and rage, self destructive or self abusive behavior, passive or withdrawn behavior, fear of entering into new relationships or activities, anxiety and fears, school problems or failure, feelings of sadness or other symptoms of depression, flashbacks or nightmares, drug and alcohol abuse, and sleep problems - and these are not the only possibilities, as there are many more. Often the severe emotional damage that has taken place in the children will not show up until adolescence or even later on, and many abused children end up becoming abusing parents, because subconsciously this is the way that they have been taught and so really it is all that they know. When abused children grow up, they often times have troubles establishing personal and intimate relationships, and as well, "These men and women may have trouble with physical closeness, touching, intimacy, and trust as adults. They are also at higher risk for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, medical illness, and problems at school or work. Without proper treatment, physically abused children can be damaged for life." (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). In order to be able to at least minimize the long-term consequences of physical abuse, early identification and treatment is essential; without either of these, it is most likely that the damage that has been done will remain there permanently. In regards to the nurture-nature issue, basically the use of the terms 'nurture' and 'nature' have been used as a convenient catch-phrase for the roles of heredity and environment in regards to human development, and these terms can actually be traced as far back as 13th Century France. Basically some scientists believe that people behave as they do according to certain genetic predispositions or even 'animal instincts'; of course there are many people who argue this rationalization, but even more so who agree with it. In regards to the matter of children and computers, there are many issues that can seriously affect a child's development, and there are many risks and problems that can arise, such as: children accessing areas that are inappropriate or overwhelming, online information that promotes hate or violence, children being mislead and bombarded with intense advertising, children being invited to register for prizes or to join a club when they are providing personal or household information to an unknown source, and hours spent online is considered as being time lost from developing real social skills and from physical activity as well. From this review we can quite clearly see that there are many different issues that affect a child's development, in terms of both positively and negatively, and so in order to allow a child the opportunity to grow up unscathed and undamaged from the issues that are alive and dwelling in society and in the world in general today, then we must take note of what a child's proper development status is, and compare that to what the child's actual development status is; this way you can tell if they are lagging in a certain area, and as well, you have to remember to take into consideration certain factors, such as whether or not the child was physically or mentally abused, whether they come from a divorced family, whether they have been nurtured and loved for and otherwise emotionally taken care of, and so on. Each and every one of these factors truly has the utmost significance and influence on a child's personal development, and so they all must be taken into the most serious consideration. References Alliance for Childhood. (2006). Children and Computers. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/computers/computers_reports_fools_gold_contents.htm American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2006). Children and Divorce. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://aacap.org/page.wwname=Children+and+Divorce§ion=Facts+for+Families BBC. (2006). Computers 'Could Disable Children'. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1041677.stm Berk, L. E. (2005). Child Development. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. CDC. (2006). Child Development. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/ Child. (2006). Child Development Info. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/ Child Development Institute. (2006). Child Development Basics. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/ Csongradi, C. (2006). What is the Relationship Between "Nature" and "Nurture" in the Acquisition of Knowledge Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/SER/BE/whata.html Davies, K. (2006). Nature Vs Nuture Revisited. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/debate.html Harris, J. R., & Niolon, R. (1999). The Nurture Assumption. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://home.att.net/xchar/tna/ Wikipedia. (2006). Child Development. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_development Read More