Child Development

Knowledge of child development is the foundation for work with children, and therefore is a requirement for all those seeking to protect children. It influences every aspect of a child from physical growth and mental abilities, to how they express emotions, think and behave.

Healthy development takes children through stages, whereby they obtain an increasing number of physical, mental, and emotional skills in order to become independent adults. These stages provide benchmarks for determining if a child is developing normally. Without knowledge of the normal developmental stages of a child, a worker cannot identify developmental delays, assess the impact of abuse, or make recommendations regarding the child’s physical, mental or emotional health. Understanding what a child is capable of allows adults to communicate on their level and provide age-appropriate responses and interventions.

Knowledge of early childhood development and attachment behaviour is particularly important for protection workers. The physical health and care a child experiences as an infant will affect their development into adulthood. A child needs to have experienced a positive attachment by the age of 3 in order to develop cognitively, physically, socially, and psychologically. Healthy attachments come from the close bond a child experiences when provided with the responsive and stable care of at least one adult. In a residential home, children are less likely to receive the amount of individual attention from a permanent caretaker that they require. Children under 12, in particular, benefit more from a kinship, foster or adoption placement where they can experience closer relationships.

Observation of a child’s attachment to caretakers will influence the type of care, permanency plan, and level of support services offered. It can also aid in the identification of abuse.

This section contains information on the importance of child development knowledge, guidance on the ages and stages of children, and attachment theory.

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An Exploration of Childhood and Childcare for 0–3 year olds in Coastal Kenya: An ethnographic deep-dive and quantitative study

Saul Parker & Sophie Dollar - The Kays Foundation , 2019

This research debrief includes the qualitative and quantitative findings from a study of parenting attitudes and practices in coastal Kenya that set out to cast new light on the First 1,000 Days, understanding this life-stage from the vantage point of families and communities. This study has been carried out with the sole purpose of bringing new insights on early childhood and childcare to the EC community, to help improve support for and services to 0–3 year olds.

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5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child, 2019

This brief guide from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child outlines 5 steps for primary caregivers to practice serve and return with their child.

5 Pasos para el Desarrollo Mental Saque y Volea

Harvard Center on the Developing Child, 2019

Esta guía breve del Harvard Center on the Developing Child presenta 5 pasos para cuidadores practicar “saque y volea” con su niño/a.

Responding to Adverse Childhood Experiences: An evidence review of interventions to prevent and address adversity across the life course

Lisa C.G. Di Lemma, Alisha R. Davies, Kat Ford, Karen Hughes, Lucia Homolova, Benjamin Gray, and Gillian Richardson - Public Health Wales and Bangor University, 2019

To support innovation in addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the authors have undertaken a review of evidence on common approaches to prevent ACEs and/or mitigate their negative impacts in Wales.

The prevalence of behavioral disorders among children under parental care and out of parental care: A comparative study in India

Panchali Datta(Pal), Sutapa Ganguly, B. N. Roy - International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 10 Dec 2018

A cross-sectional comparative descriptive study was conducted among 300 children of age 6-12 years from a pediatric outpatient department of a selected hospital and 300 children from selected orphanages in Kolkata to compare the prevalence of behavioral disorders in children under parental care and out of parental care using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

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Stability and change of attachment disorder symptoms and interpersonal problems in foster children

Tabea Symanzik, Arnold Lohaus, Ann-Katrin Job, Sabrina Chodura, Kerstin Konrad, Nina Heinrichs, Vanessa Reindl - Mental Health & Prevention, 08 Dec 2018

This paper focuses on the longitudinal examination of perceived reactive attachment disorder (RAD) symptoms and indiscriminate, insecure and pseudomature behavior in foster children, many of them having experienced maltreatment and neglect in the family of origin.

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Scaling up an early childhood development programme through a national multisectoral approach to social protection: lessons from Chile Crece Contigo

Helia Molina Milman, Claudio A Castillo, Andrea Torres Sansotta, Paula Valenzuela Delpiano, John Murray - BMJ, 07 Dec 2018

This article describes how intersectoral collaboration between health, social protection, and education sectors enabled Chile Grows with You (Chile Crece Contigo) to help all children reach their full developmental potential.

Socioeconomic Resource Environments in Biological and Alternative Family Care and Children's Cognitive Performance

Sarah Font & Marina H. Potter - Sociological Inquiry, 07 Dec 2018

The authors of this article examined social and economic resources in the environments of children involved with child protective services and their associations with children's cognitive performance.

Health impacts of parental migration on left-behind children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Gracia Fellmeth, et al - The Lancet, 05 Dec 2018

This study investigated the effect of parental migration on the health of left behind-children and adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The Brain Circuits Underlying Motivation: An Interactive Graphic

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 01 Dec 2018

In this interactive graphic, hover over or click the labels on the brain regions to learn more about how each region affects motivation, and hover over or click the highlighted text to the left of the brain image to see how those regions interact.

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