The Developmental Stage:
Early Childhood
Cathee Schlosser
Marc J Mestyanek, MA, MFT
PSYU 320
Brandman University
31 May 2013
Abstract
Early childhood is a time of dramatic and major changes for children, roughly aged between 2-6 years old, they move from an infant/toddler to a preschool and school aged children. The changes it brings span developmental areas including physical, emotional, and cognitive. As a child these developmental phases lay a foundation for the growth and development into the rest of their lives. Socio-economic status, family structures and cultural factors play a role in our own development. In this paper, I will discuss the developmental aspects of a child in the early childhood, through theories of child development, socio-economic status, family structures, and cultural factors.
The Developmental Stage:
Early Childhood
Early childhood is a detrimental part of our lives, through our biosocial development, socio-economic status, family structures, and cultural factors, it is crucial in the development of the rest of an individual’s life. Early childhood provides an important opportunity to prepare the foundation for a long life of development. We gain this foundation through physical, emotional, sexual, cognitive, and social development. “J” is a 4 year-old child, he was observed to understand his developmental stage and also to be observed where he stands among his peers. Child development is a dramatic process where children progress from dependency on their caregivers and parents in most areas of functioning, and start growing towards independence. Skills become apparent and start to emerge in a number of different developmental areas, such as: physical appearance, motor skills, cognitive thinking, and communication, both emotional and verbally. Development in each of these proceeds through steps and typically involves mastering some simple skills before more complex skills can be learned. In the biosocial...