Free Research Paper Sample on Child Development: Mastering Skills & Gaining Knowledge

Introduction

Child development is an operation that each kid passes through to become an adult. The operation entails mastering individual skills such as talking, sitting, skipping, and walking. The process also entails learning where they gain knowledge on specific skills that are known as developmental milestones that happen in predictable periods. The development of the kids' skills occurs in five regions of development (Nath et al., 2017). These areas are first and foremost cognitive development, which is the stage where a kid can solve and learn challenges. For instance, when a baby explores the ecosystem by use of eyes or hands. The second one is emotional and social development, which is the stage that the kid's interaction with others improves. The third stage is language and speech development, and here the kid starts talking and understanding the language.

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The Contrast Between Normal and Abnormal Development

Observations are essential during the child's development stage. It is because it enables someone to understand the child's weaknesses and strengths. Through it, an individual can make the appropriate adjustments so that he or she can improve the kid's learning and character. The observations of healthy development are: first and foremost, their response to the questions is straight forward and excites the person to continue asking questions or narrating the story. The second one is non-verbal ques. The children tend to use gestures such as smiling when talking about something they are excited about. Through this, there is an expression of happiness, which shows that kids are learning to interact with other people and express emotions (Rojas-Flores et al., 2017). The other one is when a child compromise so that he can please everyone. For instance, a child who loves feeding the street cats, the mother disagrees while the father agrees. In this case, the dad accepts him regardless and the reason as to why the mother dislikes it is because the cats are dirty.

For this reason, the child decides to wash his hands after feeding them; this way, his mum will not have an issue of him feeding the cats. The final one is through art, like drawings and paintings. It shows that the child is developing reasonably.

On the other hand, the abnormal development observations are: first and foremost, these children have pride that they cannot communicate with other people in a polite manner. The second one is when looking at the non-verbal clues, in such a scenario, the children tend to be sad all the time and keep a frowning face during the discussion (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Through this, they bore the person communicating with them and make the communication difficult because they are showing little interest. The final one is that they are not willing to do anything right; in abnormal development, they always want to have their way. For instance, when asked to eat some vegetables because it is healthy, they tend to rebel.

Correlation and Analysis with Developmental Theories

The development theories that are applicable in analysis and correlation are Melanie Klein, Sullivan's theory, and Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Freud's psychoanalytic theory enables individuals to acquire insights and receive a cure through the making of unconscious conscious. The main aim is releasing the experiences which are in suppression and the emotions through making the unconscious to become conscious (Nath et al., 2017). From the theory, if a psychologist can open the kid's unconscious, it will enable them to influence the child's thinking. The second theory is the Melanie Klein, whose aim was developing the relationship of the object and exploring the development of the psyche and relation to a substance that surrounds children. The theory's support enables people to understand the nature and personality of the child through their interactions with things in the ecosystem. The final theory is that Sullivan's theory states that the primary purpose of the character is fulfilling an individual's needs through an agreement or interpersonal relations. Through this, the child will avoid any anxiety.

Preventive Measures That Enhance Development in Children

There are numerous preventive measures that not only the parents but also the society at large can employ to help in the average child's development. The first one is ensuring that the child gets healthy meals. It is essential because health is the most significant aspect of a child's life. As it is well known, a healthy child is a happy child. Also, engaging them in enough sleep routine and exercise is essential for the child's development. Parents should avoid giving children junk food. The second one is that parents should find out the appropriate way to discipline their children without being harsh (Booth & Neill, 2017). Thirdly, parents should not let the children watch too much inappropriate information, instead of engaging them in art, like drawing and painting will enhance their development. Also, reading books instead of watching is another factor that will enhance the child's development. The fourth one avoids giving the children electronic gadgets instead enhance the communication hence enabling them to interact with others.

Cultural Assessment

Child development is not only an interactive operation but a dynamic one as well. Each kid is unique when it comes to interacting with the surrounding, and it is through this that their behavior and thoughts influence. The children that grow from various cultures receive specific inputs from the ecosystem. Due to that, there is a considerable gap in the cultural difference in the kids' behavior and beliefs. The first aspect is the language. Mothers who are from various cultures communicate with the kids differently (Rojas-Flores et al., 2017). For instance, German mothers or guardians focus more on the child's needs and wishes while other cultures put more emphasis on the social context. The second one is that due to the various cultures, the kids tend to learn a cognitive style. An example of a cognitive style is when child attention is as a result of the objects in a specific event. Some cultures orient the kid to themselves first before orienting them to the object. However, for other cultures, the opposite is very much applicable. The third one is that forms of play result in the creation of various cultural environments that are for learning. Individual communities that value the play demonstrated the way the kids relate with others socially when it comes to their everyday life.

Family Assessment

The family is the closest faculty to the children because it is until a child can walk and run that he or she can interact with the outside world. As a result of this, the family has a more significant impact on the child's development, especially psychologically. Some of the impacts it has on children are: the values that the family possesses is what the child will learn. Suppose the family has positive values that are what the child will learn and practice when he or she starts interacting with others (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Communication also starts with the family because it is the first time the child learns how to interact, so it is essential. The final thing on how the family influences the child's development is through the environment they create for their kids. For instance, if the child's environment is a stressful one, the child may develop some mental challenges. If a child sees her dad beating the mum, it may create a mentality that she may have a negative attitude towards men.

Conclusion

Fourthly is the excellent motor skill where the kid uses his or her muscles to lift things, and the final stage is the gross motor skill, here the kid learns to make use of the bigger muscles. Some of the theories that explain the psychological and growth development in a child are Piaget's Cognitive Theory, Freud's Psychosexual, Erikson's Psychosocial, Bandura's Social Learning, and Freud's Psychosocial (Booth and Neill, 2017). This paper has examined the differences between normal and abnormal development, and analysis and correlation according to the theories, cultural and family assessment.

References

Booth, J. W., & Neill, J. T. (2017). Coping strategies and the development of psychological resilience. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 20(1), 47-54.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03401002.

Nath, A., Murthy, G. V. S., Babu, G. R., & Di Renzo, G. C. (2017). Effect of prenatal exposure to maternal cortisol and psychological distress on infant development in Bengaluru, southern India: a prospective cohort study. BMC psychiatry, 17(1), 1-6.
https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1424-x.

Rojas-Flores, L., Clements, M. L., Hwang Koo, J., & London, J. (2017). Trauma and psychological distress in Latino citizen children following parental detention and deportation. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(3), 352.
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/tra0000177.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Bc_DDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=psychological+growth+and+development+of+a+child&ots=QHohhdkO3l&sig=UcW9rXKl0Yqp7YtPVRs2NkZBals.