Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination

The biological, emotional, and physiological changes that individuals undergo from the time they are born and their adolescent years and then into adulthood are referred to as child development. It is also a time in their lives where they progress from dependency to ever increasing autonomy. Developmental changes typically begin occurring based on prenatal events and genetic influence, therefore it follows that prenatal and genetic development are included in the study of child development.

The terms pediatrics and developmental psychology are related terms in the field of development studies. Maturation is a series of genetically-controlled processes and one of the primary reasons that these developmental changes also occur. Environmental factors and the learning process may be the reason for these changes occurring. However, these developmental changes usually involves the interaction between these two groups. Finally, human nature and learning from our environment can be a key factor as well.

Stages of child development
It is well known that child development encompasses a human being's ability to interact with and adapt to their surroundings. There are numerous definitions of development periods as each one is a continuum containing specific characteristics or differences such as the beginning and ending points of each period. Developmental periods are also defined by age ranges and specific examples regarding defined intervals. These periods are Newborn (0 to 1 month), Infant (1 month to 1 year), Toddler (1 to 3 years), Preschooler (4 to 6 years), School-aged child (6 to 13 years) and Adolescence (13 to 20 years).

Interestingly enough, there are organizations such as the World Association for Infant Mental Health and Zero to Three who use the term infant to define children from the time they are born until they reach 3 years of age. The bottom line is that the optimal development of the child is viewed as a vital part of our society.

Therefore it is extremely important to understand the cognitive, educational, emotional, and social development of the child. Increased interest and research studies in the field of development changes has resulted in the onset of new strategies and theories. These were developed with regard to the practice in which child development is promoted within the education system. Additionally, there are a number of theories that attempt to define or describe a series of states that comprise child development.

The aspects of child development
Childhood development progresses differently from one individual to the next based on mental and physical aspects of the person. This includes cognitive/intellectual development, language, motor development, physical growth, and social-emotional development. Knowing what develops in each of these aspects plays a significant role in child development as well.
For instance, where physical growth is concerned, the mechanisms involving development changes as well as the pattern and speed of development are critical factors. Individual and population differences are also taken into consideration where physical growth is concerned when studying development and children's developmental changes.

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