From birth to death, all animals, without exception, under go physical, mental and emotional growth, development and transformation. This process of development is of special significance in human beings. The body that nature had gifted to a baby at birth develops so rapidly day by day that an observer wonders at the enormous changes brought about in the course of a year. This is true of its mental development as well.
The various changes seen in the daily routine and the behavior of a child form a well-ordered and natural sequence. Certain specific changes in the minds and bodies of children behavior patterns of a person keep changing at every stage of development from childhood to old age. Fundamental changes are observed in mannerism, language, eating and drinking habits, play, work etc. These changes tend to occur at certain definite stages in the life of the individual.
States in the development of the child: Psychologists, sociologists and physiologists agree in their recognition of various stages of development. These stages have been demarcated and defined on the basis of the development of various bodily charactertistics and the associated behavioral changes. Ernest Jones, the eminent psychoanalyst, has described the following stages in the development of a child into adulthood.
Every parent has a special affection for his or her own offspring, and in addition to parental love, every parent takes a certain pride in the child. This love and affection often prevent parents from talking an objective view of the physical and mental development of the child. On the other hand, there are parents who are always dissatisfied with the progress of their child. All you hear from them about their child is , ‘my child is not growing well’. It is not robust enough’, ‘recently it seems to have lost weight’, etc. Such parents keep dosing the children with tonics and medicines, and then worry about the fact that despite all this care and treatment, the child is not gaining in height and weight as would normally be expected according to its age.
All parents should keep notes of the physical and mental development of their children. They should compare the progress of the child with that o other children of their age. Of course there is no need to get concerned or frightened if the comparison shows differences from other children. The development of all children is not necessarily parallel. Some babies learn to walk earlier than others, while some others learn to speak much earlier than is usual. No single characteristic or ability can be used a yardstick to evaluate the development of a child. But the general levels of attainment at different ages are shown in the table follows. This table should be carefully studied.
The various changes seen in the daily routine and the behavior of a child form a well-ordered and natural sequence. Certain specific changes in the minds and bodies of children behavior patterns of a person keep changing at every stage of development from childhood to old age. Fundamental changes are observed in mannerism, language, eating and drinking habits, play, work etc. These changes tend to occur at certain definite stages in the life of the individual.
States in the development of the child: Psychologists, sociologists and physiologists agree in their recognition of various stages of development. These stages have been demarcated and defined on the basis of the development of various bodily charactertistics and the associated behavioral changes. Ernest Jones, the eminent psychoanalyst, has described the following stages in the development of a child into adulthood.
Every parent has a special affection for his or her own offspring, and in addition to parental love, every parent takes a certain pride in the child. This love and affection often prevent parents from talking an objective view of the physical and mental development of the child. On the other hand, there are parents who are always dissatisfied with the progress of their child. All you hear from them about their child is , ‘my child is not growing well’. It is not robust enough’, ‘recently it seems to have lost weight’, etc. Such parents keep dosing the children with tonics and medicines, and then worry about the fact that despite all this care and treatment, the child is not gaining in height and weight as would normally be expected according to its age.
All parents should keep notes of the physical and mental development of their children. They should compare the progress of the child with that o other children of their age. Of course there is no need to get concerned or frightened if the comparison shows differences from other children. The development of all children is not necessarily parallel. Some babies learn to walk earlier than others, while some others learn to speak much earlier than is usual. No single characteristic or ability can be used a yardstick to evaluate the development of a child. But the general levels of attainment at different ages are shown in the table follows. This table should be carefully studied.
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