Children's and young people's development is affected by a wide range of factors, their background, health and the environment which they are growing up in all have an impact on their development. It is important to have some understanding of these factors in order to be able to respond and recognise to any concerns that may arise. Children and young people may come from a wide range of different family environments, cultures and circumstances. All these things will affect the opportunities each child receives and the breadth of the experiences they receive.
The sooner any changes are spotted in a child or young person the the more help and support can be given to them and these can be addresses and referred to suitable agencies or professionals with in the school team.
Example 1
A child that has been playing or standing alone during playtime for a few days in a row may find their development may become affected. It can affected a child’s social and intellectual development. Socially the child wouldn’t be playing with other children their age and this can affect confidence and self esteem, this in turn may affect them intellectually as the child maybe unwilling to work with the same children within the classroom and start to segregate themselves from their peers, due to this the may not learn the same as their peers and their experiences may becoming limited , they may find themselves learning at a different pace.
Example 2
A child who has a hearing impairment may find their language skills being undeveloped or they may be delayed. This may then have a knock on effect with the child's/young person's ability to interact and socialise with others of the same age. Early recognitions means the child can be referred to appropriate agencies and special needs teachers within the school to assist and work with the child and