Child development describes the series of emotional, physical, thought, and language changes that a child experiences from birth as they develop until they become young adults. During child development, the child makes a progress from being fully dependent on guardian/parents to being independent. A child is mainly influenced by events in their prenatal life and by genetic factors (genes inherited from parents) ( Crain, 2015) . It may also be affected by the child’s learning capacity and environmental factors ( Crain, 2015) . There are various psychological, physical, personality and social, cognitive, and language changes that occur when a child is born until when they turn two. Although babies appear helpless at birth, they enter the world with a series of responses and abilities that are fundamental for their future skill sets and abilities ( Crain, 2015) . Observing and observing a child’s development is an essential tool that ensures that children achieve their ‘developmental milestones.’ The research paper will evaluate child development from birth to age two.
Physical Development
During the first two years after birth, the child grows rapidly in weight and length because they rapidly reproduce new cells. During the first two years, a child may grow to almost half of their adult height and their weight may increase about four times their birth weight ( Crain, 2015) . During this period, caregivers should ensure they take the child for checkups to ensure they grow at an appropriate rate. The increasing baby fat allows babies to maintain body temperature.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Moreover, a child’s body proportions will also change. When the child is born, most of their weight is in the head but as they grow, other parts of the body catch up ( Crain, 2015) . Their trunk and chest begin catching up with their growth as well as well as their legs and arms. Moreover, the child’s bones solidify unlike after birth when their bones are quite soft. The hardening of bones is necessary to support their increasing body weight and supporting new activities such as walking or crawling ( Crain, 2015) . Also, the ‘soft spots’ on their skulls also begin solidifying.
Cognitive Development
According to Piaget, the stage of development between infancy and two years is known as the sensorimotor stage ( Kogan, 2013) . During this stage, children use the abilities and skills they were born with such as listening, looking, grasping, and sucking to learn more about their environment. Notably, the child gains knowledge and experiences the world through motor movements and their senses ( Kogan, 2013) . During the3 sensorimotor stage, they experience significant cognitive growth within a short period. There are various stages of the sensorimotor stage that include:
Reflexes (0-1 month) ( Kogan, 2013) : the child evaluates their environment through inborn reflexes such as looking and sucking.
Primary Circular Reaction occurs after one month to about four months ( Kogan, 2013) . The child new schemas and coordinating sensations. For instance, a child may accidentally suck their thumb and find it pleasurable. The action will be repeated because they find it pleasurable.
Secondary Circular Reactions occurs during four to eight months ( Kogan, 2013) . The child often repeats actions to get a response.
Coordination of Reactions occurs between 8 and 12 months ( Kogan, 2013) . The child makes an intentional reaction to achieve particular effects.
Tertiary Circular Reactions occurs between 12 and 18 months ( Kogan, 2013) . The child makes trial and error experimentation such as making sounds to get the attention of the caregiver.
Early Representational stage occurs between 18 and 24 months ( Kogan, 2013) . It is the last phase of the sensorimotor stage where the child attempts to understand the world through mental operations and not just through actions.
Language Development
Most children begin developing language at three months. Between 3 and 12 months, babies often laugh, coo, play with sounds or attempt to communicate through gestures such as waving ( Crain, 2015) . Babbling is a common observation in this stage. The child often appears to make sounds as if they are having a conversation. Between 12 and 18 months, children begin saying words that may have a meaning ( Crain, 2015) . For instance, ‘Dada’ to call for their dad. During this phase, the child continues adding words to their vocabulary and they begin following simple instructions. Between 18 months and two years, a child’s vocabulary has grown and they can put two words together to form some ‘short sentences’ ( Crain, 2015). In this phase, the caregiver often understands what the child says and the child understands more instructions than in previous stages.
Personality and Social Development
Every child is born a social creature. From birth, a child attempts to gather information from their guardians, parents, or caregivers ( Crain, 2015) . Moreover, newborns can imitate facial expressions. Sensory development in infants and toddlers relates to the five main senses and allows them to explore their environment. From infancy, babies often exhibit social skills such as relaxing or cuddling when held. Between 3 and 5 months, babies can respond with babbling when the caregiver smiles or talks ( Crain, 2015) . Furthermore, they can be calmed by their guardian, parent, or caregiver when they are upset. Between 5 and 7 months, babies begin knowing their names and they often respond by looking ( Crain, 2015) . Between 7 and 12 months, babies often have toy preferences and they enjoy exploring different types of toys ( Crain, 2015) .
The stage after birth and two years referred to as Basic Trust and Mistrust Phase ( Crain, 2015) . As the children are engaged in relationships, they attempt to experience and develop a sense of being loved and nurtured. They attempt to seek relationships that show security, trust, and optimism. If they achieve the desired relationships, they master the basic psychosocial goals of the development stage and advance to other stages of development with a secure and strong sense of their role within the world ( Crain, 2015) . It is only when a child feels secure that they can explore their environment. Between 9 and 12 months, babies become increasingly interested in exploration ( Crain, 2015) . Their interest in exploration coincides with learning to crawl and walk that takes their adventures away from their nurturing caretakers.
Additionally, between 9 and 18 months, they begin understanding sophisticated knowledge of their environment including themselves ( Crain, 2015) . For instance, if you place the baby in front of a mirror, they discover that the image is actually him/herself. Between nine and eighteen months, babies begin developing stranger anxiety and may hang back if they encounter less well-known adults ( Crain, 2015) . Also, they may show displeasure when their main caregiver leaves the room or places them with another caregiver. The behaviour shows that children attempt to balance their interest in their environment with security from their main caregivers. Between 18 and 24 months, children make a transition to Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt phase where a child's will becomes stronger ( Crain, 2015) .
Conclusion
The research paper has evaluated child development from birth to age two. It has explained the language, physical, social, and cognitive changes experienced by a child from birth to age two. By observing a child’s developmental progress at a specific age, the caregiver is able to detect any hiccups or challenges in child development ( Crain, 2015) . The earliest detection or any possible defect or hiccup in a child’s development is necessary for early intervention. The developmental checklist provided in the research paper acts as a guide to the ‘normal’ development of a child from birth to age two and may be used to highlight any aspects of delayed growth ( Kogan, 2013) . Although child development has a unique predictable sequence, each child is unique and may meet the developmental milestones at different periods.
References
Crain, W. (2015). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications: Concepts and Applications : Psychology Press.
Kogan, N. (2013). Cognitive styles in infancy and early childhood (Psychology Revivals) : Psychology Press.
