Tommy Jones

PSY 2010-96

Importance of Parental Support in Child Development

Each child develops in his or her own ways, while all children follow a similar path in the acquisition of speech, motor skills and emotional maturity. There is wide variation in how and when these milestones are achieved.

During the first year, infants learn to control their attention and movements, sharpen their vision and hearing, and develop beginning on communication skills. Toddlers work at bonding with parents, learning to separate from them and developing autonomy. The school years are time for mastering physical skills and language, using imagination as a means of interpreting the world, and developing relationships with other children.

For school age children, physical developments slow down, while intellectual and emotional growth accelerate. Children at this stage learn to balance their developments against their own needs and those imposed by society.

The translation from childhood to adulthood involves major physical changes, development of sexual feelings and growth of responsibility. In early adolescence (age 10-13), children begin to establish an identity separate from their parents. Children in middle adolescence (age 14-16) establish a sexual identify and develop a self-image and definition of personal values separate from those of family and society.

Teachers or health care providers may detect some children experience delays in development, such delays. Because parents know their children better than anyone else, doctors encourage parents to discus any concern they have about their children’s development. If delays are present, timely intervention can help a child reach his full potential.

Helping children grow takes enormous energy and patience. Understanding what commonly occurs at each stage of development can be a great help when you are concerned a bout your children’s behavior. This allows everyone to...