TDA 2.1: Child and young person development
Development in children is gaining skills and experiences in every aspect of the child’s life. The different types of development are split into three main categories: physical development, communication and intellectual development and social, emotional and behavioural development. Physical development improves the child’s body skills such as gross motor development, which is using large muscles such as the muscles within arms and legs, and fine motor development, which is the use of precise muscles such as those of the hands and fingers. Communication and intellectual development allows the child to communicate and connect with different members of society – family, friends and all others – whilst also improving the child’s understanding and thinking skills. Social, emotional and behavioural development allows the child to develop relationships with other children and adults whilst learning the necessary skills to live in society with others and allows the child to form their own unique identity and self-image.
Although each child develops at their own rate, there are things or certain milestones that are to be expected when reaching a certain age. Between birth and 3 months old babies cannot understand what is happening to them. They do not understand that they are being cared for, and they do not even realise that they are people. They feel ‘happy’ when they feed but don’t fully understand what ‘happy’ is. As babies are not able to think, they will pick up on somebody’s feelings and mirror them. Although babies grow to exist by themselves, outside of their mother’s womb, most of their bodies are still very immature. As they don’t understand their environment, babies can become very distressed if they are given too much to see. From birth to 3 months, babies communicate with others by crying. This allows their carer to know when they are hungry, tired, etc. From birth, when a baby’s cheek is touched, they will turn their head towards the feeling. By six weeks
Although each child develops at their own rate, there are things or certain milestones that are to be expected when reaching a certain age. Between birth and 3 months old babies cannot understand what is happening to them. They do not understand that they are being cared for, and they do not even realise that they are people. They feel ‘happy’ when they feed but don’t fully understand what ‘happy’ is. As babies are not able to think, they will pick up on somebody’s feelings and mirror them. Although babies grow to exist by themselves, outside of their mother’s womb, most of their bodies are still very immature. As they don’t understand their environment, babies can become very distressed if they are given too much to see. From birth to 3 months, babies communicate with others by crying. This allows their carer to know when they are hungry, tired, etc. From birth, when a baby’s cheek is touched, they will turn their head towards the feeling. By six weeks