CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

Child and Adolescent Development

Child and Adolescent Development

Introduction

First and foremost, it is important to understand that children have to grow and develop in many different areas in order to become healthy, happy, productive members of adult society. There are four main areas or channels in which children grow physical, psychosocial, social and cognitive. This paper discusses various issues regarding child and adolescent development.

Criteria for child and adolescent development

Piaget theorized that as children interact with their physical and social environments, they organize information into groups of interrelated ideas called 'schemes'. When children encounter something new, they must either assimilate it into an existing scheme or create an entirely new scheme to deal with it. It must be noted that Piaget showed physical and social environment as an important criteria for the development of the children (Ginsburg 2006).

Another criterion was shown by Freud. Freud thought that all babies are initially dominated by unconscious, instinctual and selfish urges for immediate gratification which he labeled as Id. As babies attempt and fail to get all their whims met, they develop a more realistic appreciation of what is realistic and possible, which Freud called the "Ego". Over time, babies also learn about and come to internalize and represent their parents' values and rules. These internalized rules, which he called the "Super-Ego", are the basis for the developing child's conscience that struggles with the concepts of right and wrong and works with the Ego to control the immediate gratification urges of the Id.

Normal child and adolescent development and its relationship to physical development

Interaction with the environment and interpretation of the meanings and findings is imperative for the normal development of the child. Those children who suffer from the physical disability or physical abnormality cannot interact with the environment or grow successfully. This also affects their physical development.

Research and studies done by Wilson suggest that children who face difficulties in the development of the cognitive and emotional behavior they also face difficulties in the development of the physique. Moreover, children who face difficulties in the development of the physical ability they also experience different social life. Furthermore, Reaction of people towards the children with physical disabilities is different. By considering the effect of physical development on abnormal development, it can be stated that there is a link exist between different stages of the development and their affect on one another.

It is indispensable for the physical growth of the children that the body should recognize and make the usage of experience of the outside world develop. Thus, physical development of the children depends to a greater extent on the emotional and cognitive successful development.

Cognitive, psychosocial and biological development in 5-10 years old child

There are certain learned factors as well as influence of genetics that aid a child to think, perceive and develop an understanding of the world. The focus of the child in the age of 5 to 10 broadens. During this period, a child becomes capable of focusing or understanding more than one aspect of ...