Child development between 0 and 4 years
Psychological development
Stages of development and changes in personality are numerous in all periods of a child's life, especially in the early years. This trend is particularly dramatic 0-4 years where the "toddler" first lived in total dependence on his mother, as is specific to newborn and gradually manifests early behavior signing his need for autonomy . Walking is one example.
Emotional development
In the first months of life (0 to 12 months), its relationship to the outside world goes primarily through recognition "oral". Gradual discovery of the world around him orbits the sphere of the mouth: he licks, sucks, tastes, sometimes biting objects to discover and to him they become familiar. When crying out for food and that meets its needs, the satisfaction comes from both the suction and the incorporation of milk given to it, the feeling of fullness he experiences, the healing hunger, and fun to touch and the relationship moves to the time between him and his mother or her substitute.
During the first year, it is for the baby to gain the conviction that whatever happens, someone to love and support. This period is crucial in its acquisition of basic trust. His entourage, familiar, caring and reliable allows them to learn to trust and trust others while experiencing sensations and living experiences. The emotional and educational context that is given, nor too permissive or too restrictive, but suited to his personality and family values, is an additional warranty.
Development of intelligence
It was also during this first year that builds a faculty central to the development of his intelligence: the awareness that an object or person exists even if we no longer see it. By being able to search or evoke a familiar or an object dear to his heart, the child shows that he has internalized their image and can refer to it even in their absence. Gradually, he will thus acquire multiple representations that will allow it to expand its mental universe, then open to new knowledge, experience and knowledge to learning.
Psychosocial development
The child learns to walk and access to cleanliness. These changes are the manifestation of his home looking for more autonomy and greater independence. The result is the discovery of more extensive in the world that surrounds and openness to others.
From the second year, maturation allows the acquisition of important skills of control over himself and his environment. While improving its locomotion and movements, he develops a better self-control and therefore a range of increasingly assertive. His parents, who are now the most significant, promote the expansion of its autonomy by establishing a framework suitable for his age.
In short ...
During this period, relations between the young child and his family are very important. Indeed, it is in contact with his family he experimented and developed many skills causing it to gradually acquire a social and emotional independence: it is she who will develop harmoniously. Having realized that there are different sexes, the child will be able to choose models, try to imitate and experiment as the competition with his parents than with children faced in its wider environment.
Psychomotor development
Psychomotor development of children is the foundation of the general development of the child. In a basal motor activity (primary reactions and reflexes), it will change to a thought and acted activity (walking, language, etc..)
Sensorimotor period, from 0 to 24 months:
Reflexes: between 1 month and 3 months appear first responses to external stimuli. These will gradually disappear, showing a good maturation.
Muscle tone:
- in the limbs: hypertonia at birth, then hypotonia (8-9 months) which disappears at 18 months;
- at the body axis: hypotonia initially, then gradually control of muscle tone. This process gradually leads the child to walk.
Postural development:
- to three months, keeping the head;
- to six months, held seat (stable to 8-9 months);
- to 9-10 months, standing (stable to 11 to 12 months).
Mobility and walking:
- to 4-5 months, the child recovers, relies on his hands;
- to six months, he begins to crawl, move to the buttocks and legs to 4;
- to 12 months, he acquired the march (variation between 10 and 18 months).
Grip:
- to 9 to 10 months, the child uses his fingers to make the objects, which allows him to discover and manipulate.
2 to 4 years:
The motor is refined, the child moves from one phase of restlessness (up to 3 years) to better control tonic. The child runs, jumps, climbs and can hop on one foot. He knows how to dress himself, looks at her body and knows how to copy a round or square.
Body schema:
The child recognizes the different parts of his body and those of the other. To three years, he may begin to represent the body (drawing of the man, man tadpole). He invests his body in all motor activities that are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Laterality:
The dominant side hand, foot and eye settled although some children are ambidextrous (use of two sides).
Space - time:
The child can tell what he has done and can move on short trips. The concepts "upside down" in terms of an object and itself are acquired. The child knows the parts of his body.
Relationship, language:
The vocabulary is richer, the child knows his name and that of others, he says "I" and "me" and knows his age. This is the period of "no" systematic. He knows the colors. It's clean day and night. This is the period of the first separation, for example if he attends daycare. The child is able to integrate what is allowed or not.
Language development
During the first two years of a child's life, his language knows an extraordinary enrichment which we will describe the main stages. Note that the time of onset varies from child to child and ages are indicative. If in doubt on language development before they enter kindergarten, it is advisable to consult (on) a speech therapist in private. After the entry to kindergarten, the consultation can be done either in schools or in private practice or in other structures. For an optimal language development, recall the importance of good hearing and regular medical checks in case of repeated ear infections or colds.
Birth to 6 months:
- the child turns toward the sound source;
- it is sensitive to rhymes and melody of language;
- he babbles, babbles, coos and plays with her vocal cords;
- to six months, he begins to imitate sounds and intonations.
6 to 12 months:
- the child looks carefully at the person talking to him;
- he reacts to his name, "no" and includes small words like "bravo", "goodbye", "good", or small orders like giving a toy on request;
- it begins to produce its first articulated sound combinations and so more and more accurate. To 12 months, he will say his first words "Dad, Mom";
- it produces sounds and intonations increasingly close to those of his mother tongue;
- he sings;
- it is "no" with his head and gestures like "bye" or "cuckoo".
12 to 18 months:
- it recognizes all the familiar sounds;
- It includes up to 150 words and short phrases without gesture;
- It produces about 50 words;
- at 12 months, he expresses an idea by a single word (sentence) and then produced two-word sentences.
18 to 24 months:
- it includes more than 200 words, some parts of the body and possessive adjectives "my tone";
- he obeyed instructions to one or two elements, without gesture;
- at 20 months, he has 250 to 300 words (including a number of increasingly important verbs);
- always at 20 months, he tries to use the type and number of words and produces small ungrammatical sentences of two or three words. Ex: "Dad pati";
- he likes to imitate or repeat the words;
- he said his first name, "me / you";
- he answers "no!"
- he pronounces the words better and better but still fails to tell the end of words or groups of two consonants. Ex: "br-r-cr".
2 to 3 years:
- it includes some colors, some body parts and some basic space-time;
- he differentiates "big-big-small" past-present-future;
- he obeys orders complex;
- his vocabulary is growing rapidly and it makes sentences of three or four words;
- he begins to respect the sentence structure of his language gradually by including articles, pronouns, prepositions and adverbs;
- he began to use the "I";
- he questions much of the lexicon.
3 to 4 years:
- he knows all the parts of the body;
- It includes abstract words and concepts of comparisons;
- he understands "where" and "why";
- he loves listening to stories;
- he has a vocabulary of 400 to 900 words;
- he uses the pronouns "you, he, she," and can be named;
- he varied verb tenses;
- he makes fewer mistakes in grammar and builds six words and phrases as he can coordinate with "and";
- he likes to tell what he did and a lot of questions;
- his word does virtually no significant deformation;
- he likes to sing and recite nursery rhymes.