Factors That Affect Child Development

There are many factors that influence and hinder a child or young personâ€TMs development such as physical disability, learning disability and health concerns. As children and young people grow and develop in life these personal l factors could create significant developmental delays. For example, someone who suffers from asthma will not be able to take part in high energy activities including sport, lessening their physical development but also social development as they are then unable to fully engage with the activity with peers. Personal factors are largely unpreventable and down to genetics. However, there are also a range of external factors which could be prevented and could have substantial ramifications for a child/young person overall

Another major contributing external factor that could affect childrenâ€TMs learning in the classroom is their overall health and their home environment. If children/young people arenâ€TMt getting enough nutritional food it has effects on their physical and psychological state. Similarly, if the environment and community in which children are brought up is run down and polluted and donâ€TMt provide physical, emotional and visual stimulation could have a contributing effect on their studies.

Question: Question 4

Answer: Current practice is heavily influenced by theories of development with theorists such as Jean Piaget who introduced a greater focus on the process of how a child thinks and was a supporter of active learning. Piaget believed that the more children that were actively engaged within lessons and had interactive self-initiating learning tools that they would develop into better learners. This can be seen in current practice in the use of more interactive educational software on computers and tablets and allow self-learning and exploring and is supported by the national curriculum.

John Bowlby whose theory on Emotional Development contributed greatly to the idea that a childâ€TMs environments shapes and effects learning, development and behaviour. He believed that children who are brought up lovingly by parents/carers are often better equipped to learn and grow

Question: Question 6

Answer: There are number of varied reasons why children and young peopleâ€TMs may not follow the expected pattern of development ranging from physical factors, social economic and cultural factors, health, poor parental supervision, the community their brought up in and communication skills. With so many external and differing factors, each influencing children differently itâ€TMs difficult for all children to follow the same identical pattern of development. For example, families living in poverty or near the poverty line may find it difficult to provide enough nutritious food to eat, educational resources, school clothing and a range of home clothes which in turn affects that childâ€TMs to perhaps concentrate in school, difficulty in relating to a child socially who comes from a middle wealth bracket. Poor housing and community affects development greatly in children as it increases health issues and influences from anti-social areas could also affect behaviour. Another example, a child from a healthy, financially stable family, encouraging community and environment may suffer from