1.
Maternal Nutrition- the nutritional status of the women during
adolescent pregnancy and lactation has a direct impact on the child‘s health
and development.
2.
Child Nutrition- the Child‘s state of nutritional balance is
crucial in his early developmental age.
3.
Early Sensory Stimulation- Toys, soothing
sounds and other sensorial stimulation contribute to the child‘s development.
4.
Heredity and genes certainly play an important role in the
transmission of physical and social characteristics from parents to off-springs.
Exceptional
Development
1.
Physical Disabilities- Persons with physical disabilities
may experience functional, visual, orthopedic, motor, or hearing impairments,
which may impact upon their ability to walk, play and learn. Physical
disabilities are also often defined and categorized by some degree of limitation
in the use of upper or lower extremities and maintaining posture and
positioning.
2.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit
Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and
Hyperkinetic Disorder (as officially known in U.K., through ADHD is more
commonly used) is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely
neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of the world‘s population. The
disorder typically presents itself during childhood, and is characterized by a
present pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness,
poor impulse control or impulsivity and distractibility, ADHD is currently
considered to be a persistent and chronic condition for which no medical cure is
available ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in children and, over the past decade.
Linguistic and Literary Development
A.
Natural History and Language Development - Language
development is a process that starts early in human life, when a person begins
to acquire language by learning it as it is spoken and by mimicry. Children‘s
language development moves from simplicity to complexity. Infants start without
language. Yet by four months of age, babies can read lips and discriminate
speech sounds.
•
Usually,
language starts off as recall of simple words without associated meaning, but
as children age, words acquire meaning, and connections between words are
formed, in time, sentences start to form as words are joined together to create
logical meaning. As a person gets older, new meaning and new associations are
created and vocabulary increases as more words are learned.
•
Infant
use their bodies, vocal cries and other preverbal vocalizations to communicate
their wants, needs and dispositions. Even though most children begin to
vocalize and eventually verbalize at various ages and at different rates, they
learn their first language without conscious instruction from parents or
caretakers. It is seemingly effortless task that grows increasingly difficult
with age. Of course, before any learning can begin, the child must be
biologically and socially mature enough.
B.
Biological Preconditions - Linguist do not
all agree on what biological factors contribute to language development,
however most do agree that our ability to acquire such a complicated system is
specific to the human species, Furthermore, our ability to learn language may
have been developed through the evolutionary process and that the foundation
for language may be passed down genetically.
C.
Second Preconditions - it is crucial that children are
allowed to socially interact with other people who can vocalize and respond to
questions. For language acquisition to develop successfully, children must be
in an environment that allows them to communicate socially in that language.
There are a few different theories as to why and how
children develop language. The most popular explanation is that language is
acquired through imitation. However, this proves to be more of a folk tale
than anything. Two most accepted theories in language development are psychological
and functional. Psychological explanations focus on the mental processes
involved in childhood language learning. Functional explanations look at the
social process involved in learning the first language.
Bilingual Language Development
•
There are two major patters in bilingual
language acquisition; simultaneous Bilingualism and Sequential bilingualism. In
simultaneous bilingualism, the child acquires two languages at the same time
before the age of 3 years. These children may mix words or parts of words from
both languages in the first stage. Stage 2 occurs at 4 years and older when
distinction between the two languages takes place, and the child uses each
language separately. Sequential bilingualism also occurs before the child is 3
years old, but the child can draw in on the knowledge and experience of first
language while acquiring the second language.
•
Detecting delays in the speech and language
of multilingual children presents a challenge. The authors state that ―the key
is to obtain information about the child‘s entire language system, not just the
primary or secondary language‖.
•
The following ―red flags‖ may
indicates that the child who is simultaneously acquiring two languages id
experiencing problems with language development.
§ No
sounds by 2-6 months
§ Less
than one new words per week for 6-15 month-old children.
§ Less
than 20 words (in the two languages combined by 20 months: and
§ No
use of word combinations and a very limited vocabulary by age 2-3 years
§ Red
flags for abnormal language development in the sequential acquisition of two
language include.
§ Lack
of normal milestones in the first language
§ Prolonged
phase of not talking
§ Difficulty
of retrieving words