Steps of Early Childhood Development
There are many professionals and researchers who have studied the developing intellect of children in order to create a pattern that every doctor, parent, and health care professional can follow as a guideline in how a child is developing.
Early childhood development characteristics begin before they are even born and continue to develop within hours after birth. A child goes through several early childhood development stages before they reach adulthood. From focusing their eyes on mommy and daddy to walking across the stage to get their diploma, every stage in a child’s life is one that you can almost guess when they will occur.
A child will develop verbal skills at first so they can communicate with the loved ones around them. They will begin to cry in order to express pain, a dirty diaper, or hunger. Sometimes they will cry so they can be held. Their verbal skills develop as they grow so they learn more sounds. Soon they are cooing and gurgling which seem to attract attention. Before you know it, a child will be forming words in order to talk and communicate with others around them.
Another early childhood development skill includes learning to recognize objects, shapes, and colors. At first these skills do not make any sense but they will begin to develop to be more recognizable the more they use these skills.
By the age of two a child should be walking and talking and capable of making simple decisions as well as using their own creativity to play. They will also have high socialization skills which will influence how well they will get along with others. If a child is already shy this will continue however they won’t see everyone as a scary person but just a little intimidating.
By the time the child is able to go to school, he or she should be independent and be able to dress themselves, feed themselves, and think rationally about things before they do something. If not, they also learn that every action has a consequence. They are able to start school and be a part of a society that educates and socializes.
If a child is not reaching these different stages of early childhood development or if there is a delay in developmental phases then the parent may want to take the child for a routine visit with a pediatrician. Sometimes the doctor may issue more tests to be done in order to verify that the brain is responding to the growth as it should. Other times the doctor may tell the parents to wait and see how everything goes for a certain amount of time.
If a child does have developmental issues the doctor can address them and possibly help the child to go on and develop normally however if there is a permanent issue the parents may need to look at alternatives in learning or medication that can help. Sometimes conditions such as ADHD can be controlled with medication however conditions such as Autism are not something that can be controlled with medication only. The severity of the condition will need to be determined before treatment for them can begin.
