Infancy (Birth - 2 years old)
Infants have the ability to hear things from birth, they also can see objects in front of them. When an infant hears a loud noise they get startled and it catches their attention. When you place an object in front of an infant their eyes will follow it from side to side. Infants get entertained with toys that make noise and have movement.
Early Childhood (2 - 6 years old)
At this stage children begin to learn and understand words, numbers, and to follow simple directions. Children do have a short attention span during this age, and it's difficult to keep them focused at all times since they do get distracted easily.
Middle Childhood ( 6 - 10 years old)
Children at this stage
begin to expand their vocabulary and enjoy reading and writing. At this age children have better attention spans and are able to remember more information for longer periods. They can also begin to multi task and avoid certain distractions while they are working on things.
Early Adolescence ( 10 to 14 years old)
At this stage a child already has all the basic skills to read, write, problem solve, mathematics, and spelling words. They are able to work on a small project and not get distracted from start to finish, since they have the ability to tend to an individual task. They begin to make their own decisions and use their problem solving techniques, by asking questions and being aware of what's going on around them.
Late Adolescence (14 to 18 years old)
At this stage and adolescence is able to make long term goals and know what needs to be done in order to accomplish them. They are capable of making their own plans into reality, for example graduating high school with good grades. An adolescence begins to analyze things and determines what's right from wrong without adult feedback. Reference McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2004). Child development: Educating and working with children and adolescents (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.