2. Understand the factors that influence children and young people’s development and how these affect practice.
Understand Child and Young Person Development
2. Understand the factors that influence children and young people’s development and how these affect practice.
2.1
Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors.
Personal factors are those which are part of the genetic make-up of a child (nature, not nurture). As such, they cannot be changed, although their influence upon development can be addressed to give children the best possible chance to achieve their potential. Personal factors influencing development include:
• Health status: From common colds to serious illness, a child’s health status will impact upon their development in some way. Frequent colds or other mild illness, for example, could mean low school attendance rates which not only impacts on a child’s classroom learning but can also affect a child’s social and emotional development by having less exposure to playing with peers, less time to form meaningful friendships and missing out on the opportunity to grow in confidence and social skills. A child with a chronic illness, such as juvenile arthritis, may suffer the same disadvantages due to frequent hospital appointments. In addition, suffering chronic pain can render a child less able to concentrate, thus affecting their cognitive development. Not being able to play the same games or not being able to take part fully in PE lessons or afterschool clubs can affect a child’s confidence. In turn this could affect a child’s language and communication development. Moreover, these disadvantages are on top of the more obvious effects of a serious disease – in the case of arthritis, problems with bone development and growth. When one aspect of a child’s development is significantly influenced, other aspects will also be influenced. Although Teachers and Teaching Assistants cannot cure arthritis, they can certainly mitigate the effects of the disease on aspects of development other than bone growth.
•
2. Understand the factors that influence children and young people’s development and how these affect practice.
2.1
Explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors.
Personal factors are those which are part of the genetic make-up of a child (nature, not nurture). As such, they cannot be changed, although their influence upon development can be addressed to give children the best possible chance to achieve their potential. Personal factors influencing development include:
• Health status: From common colds to serious illness, a child’s health status will impact upon their development in some way. Frequent colds or other mild illness, for example, could mean low school attendance rates which not only impacts on a child’s classroom learning but can also affect a child’s social and emotional development by having less exposure to playing with peers, less time to form meaningful friendships and missing out on the opportunity to grow in confidence and social skills. A child with a chronic illness, such as juvenile arthritis, may suffer the same disadvantages due to frequent hospital appointments. In addition, suffering chronic pain can render a child less able to concentrate, thus affecting their cognitive development. Not being able to play the same games or not being able to take part fully in PE lessons or afterschool clubs can affect a child’s confidence. In turn this could affect a child’s language and communication development. Moreover, these disadvantages are on top of the more obvious effects of a serious disease – in the case of arthritis, problems with bone development and growth. When one aspect of a child’s development is significantly influenced, other aspects will also be influenced. Although Teachers and Teaching Assistants cannot cure arthritis, they can certainly mitigate the effects of the disease on aspects of development other than bone growth.
•