Theoretical Models Of Development

Six Theoretical Models of Development and Why They are Important for Understanding the Behavior of Youth
There are six major theoretical models used to explain how human development evolves. The Biological Model looks for organic causes to cognitive, learning, and behavioral disorders and uses medication for treatment. The Behavioral Model is observable and measurable. It uses positive reinforcement to obtain desired behavior. The Social Model focuses on modeling and combines behavior and cognitive models to figure out how people learn from their environments. The Ecological Model believes that interactions within the environment and social circles influence behavior and learning process. The Developmental Model looks at development
The Biological Model labels a person with a disability. While labeling can be beneficial in seeking out the right treatment it can also lead to a person not working to his or her full potential and blame their lack of progress on their disorder. Another shortfall is that medication alone does not always solve the issue. There may be other causes and factors that the medication cannot control, the medication may have no effect on certain people or they may be misdiagnosed, and what will happen once medication is withdrawn needs to be taken into consideration. That is why this model is best used in conjunction with the Behavioral Model so that positive reinforcement for acceptable behavior can be taught so that a person is able to cope without 100 percent dependency on medication since medication is not completely dependable and has side effects.
The Behavioral Model is lacking in that it looks only at the present and does not consider past experiences as a direct response for the present behavior. However, Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS), a spin-off of the Behavioral Model, has been gaining in popularity because it takes into consideration aspects from the Social and Ecological Models. PBS is student centered, uses positive reinforcement for acceptable behavior instead of waiting to punish unacceptable behavior, and works to better the quality of life for the student by involving the parent or legal
They both focus on stages that a person moves through. The Developmental Model focuses on stages of development such as milestones while the Psychodynamic Model focuses on stages in the thought process. The Developmental Model is important for implementing appropriate practices that coincide with the developmental level a child is at. The Psychodynamic Model tries to figure out motives for behavior and believes that figuring out the personality will help to figure out the disorder (Wheeler & Dean, 2010 p. 5). The Developmental model is used especially with the younger students but has been shown to be more effective when combined with early intervention methods for special needs students. The Psychodynamic model is not used in the school setting because there really is no way to determine what is really going on inside the mind of someone else. All six of these models help educators look at factors that affect behavior and learning ability. While some of these theories such as Biological and Behavioral are used more often than other theories such as Social and Ecological, it is important to have a solid foundation in understanding each theory so that you can produce a more holistic treatment for each