Understanding Learning and Development in Children

The difference between the sequence of development and rate of development is that the sequence of development refers to the expected pattern of development, whereas the rate of development refers to the speed of development in terms of age and length of time. It is important that we are all aware of these differences in order to avoid any misdiagnosis and labelling. Milestones help us has health care professionals, parents and carers to gain a greater understanding of what the expected pattern of development should be, and also assist us in recognising when and where there are any variations. Nonetheless it is equally important to understand that the speed and rate of development do not always work in correlation.
However we must not lose sight of the fact that each child has their own individual needs and is therefore unique, meaning that the process of development can and will vary from child to child. This reinforces one of the Early Years Foundation Stage (,EYFS) -Learning and development which states that children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected’ The three other principles’ unique child’, Positive Relationships and Enabling Environments, is a guide to ensure that a consistent approach is maintained. The way in which a child develops can also be influenced by numerous environmental factors for example a multi lingual child make struggle with English but may fluent in his mother tongue which means that is not necessarily a language development issue, a child who was born prematurely may not develop as fast as peers, or some children may just be late developers for no particular reason. By having knowledge and understanding of the possible reasons and understanding on the differences we may be able to alleviate some of the apprehensions of parents who may be concerned about their Childs development. We can highlight the fact each child is different