Cognitive Development

Infants & toddler

 New cognitive skills build upon previous cognitive skills.

Researchers see infants and toddlers as active learners who purposefully
see, touch, and do, and who consequently develop additional cognitive
skills. Developmentalists see cognitive development as involving both
advancement and limitation. Devlopmentalists also applaud Piaget's role
in stimulating professional interest in the cognitive world of children.
 Infants and toddlers understand language before actually speaking
language; children have receptive language, or an understanding of the
spoken and written word, before acquiring productive language, or an
ability to use the spoken or written word. Before saying their first words,
infants babble. That is, babies make meaningless sounds while learning to
control their vocalizations. By the end of the first year, most babies are
uttering single words. Soon infants begin to use holophrastic speech, or
single words that convey complete ideas. “Mama” (meaning “Mama,
come here!”) and “Milk!” (meaning “Give me some milk!”) are examples
of holophrastic speech. When starting to put words together to form
sentences, children first use telegraphic speech, in which words that are
the most meaningful are used, such as “Want milk!”

Pre Schooler
 Preschoolers want to learn how things work, and they learn best
through play. Children at play are solving problems, creating,
experimenting, thinking and learning all the time.

This is why play supports your preschooler’s cognitive development –

that is, your child’s ability to think, understand, communicate, remember,
imagine and work out what might happen next.

Your child’s relationships also support his cognitive development,

especially his relationship with you. And play is a great relationship
builder. Spending time playing with your child sends a simple message –
you are important to me. This message helps your child learn about who
he is and where he fits in the world.

What to expect: preschooler cognitive developmentWith time,

experience and practice, your preschooler will probably:

 start to organise games and make friends from four years

  understand concepts like ‘bigger’ and ‘taller’ from four years
 start to develop a sense of humour at four years and delight in jokes
and riddles by five years
 have some concept of time at four years, and by five understand
that the day is divided into hours and minutes
 start negotiating with you if there’s something she wants
 start predicting what will happen next – for example, in a story
 still not understand what’s real and what’s pretend until after five
years.

At four years, a child still has a fairly short concentration span, so expect
that your child might get restless or bored if an activity goes on for too
long.

Your four-year-old child is also likely to start asking tricky questions

about subjects like sexuality or death. For example, he might ask, ‘Where
do babies come from, Mum?’

By five years, your child will probably sit through a full game or finish a
whole puzzle – and that brings the new challenge of playing fair and
learning to lose gracefully!

Starting preschool gives your child lots to think about. There are new
rules and routines that are different from those at home. This can be tiring
and confusing at first. Your child might need time and lots of love and
support to adjust.  

Ref. Raisingchildren.net.au

Intermediate

 school children greatly enjoy the abilities that they can now utilize.
Their thinking skills have become more effective as compared during
their primary years. ... Older children have longer and more flexible
attention span compare to younger children

 Since children in this stage are already in their childhood, rapid

development of mental skills is evident. • According to Jean Piaget,
concrete operational thinkers can now organize thoughts effectively,
 although, they can logically perceive the immediate situation. •They
can apply what they have learned to situation and events that they can
manipulate.

Primary Cognitive development

 In Cognitive, we believe that poor academic performance is not solely
the result of learning difficulties. Primary Schoolers will be supported
by a professionally designed environment, customized learning plan,
teaching specialist with Psychology or teaching background. He will
be shown that learning is not that difficult, after all. Foundation skills
and key concepts that typically are expected in school are reinforced
to help the child learn.
 Your child will be taught unique strategies that allow him to
understand the purpose behind every skill/technique, and be
empowered to develop new skills to solve the question or problem;
eliminating the need for hard memory work, and understanding and
constructing new knowledge. We will also use behavioural
modification strategies to improve their attitude towards learning.
 These include direct instruction, guided discovery, investigative
approach, open approach, problem-based learning and so on. The
selection of strategies depends greatly on the content to be taught and
the abilities, needs and interests of students.
 A child facing academic performance issues often has to cope with
pressure and stress from his environment. Biologically, the child will
react and show negative behavior and attitude. This would fuel further
deterioration in academic performance to a point that finally both
parents and child give up on education.

Ref. Cognitive development centre

High School Cognitive Development

 It is the emergence of the ability to think, reason and understand. 
And it is said that “Adolescence marks the beginning development of
more complex thinking processes called formal logical operations

 BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

1. Acquisition of new skills due to brains increasing weight and refining

synaptic connections (corpus callosum).
2. Process of continuous concentration of brain cell in prefrontal cortex
and temporal and parietal areas (myelination)
·
3. Three peaks of maturation at the age of 12, 15 and 18.5

4. Acquire spatial awareness and formulate abstract or general ideas.

5. From ages 13 to about age 25, a pruning and strengthening process is

happening in their brains .

 Adolescent girls usually feel more confident about their

reading and social skills than boys.

 Adolescent boys tend to feel more confident about their athletic

and math skills.

Ref. Stufy.com

Socio emotional dimention

Infants & Toddler
 Social-emotional development includes the child’s experience, expression, and
management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding
relationships with others (Cohen and others 2005). It encompasses both intra-
and interpersonal processes.
 infants experience, express, and perceive emotions before they fully
understand them. In learning to recognize, label, manage, and communicate
their emotions and to perceive and attempt to understand the emotions of
others, children build skills that connect them with family, peers, teachers, and
the community. These growing capacities help young children to become
competent in negotiating increasingly complex social interactions, to
participate effectively in relationships and group activities, and to reap the
benefits of social support crucial to healthy human development and
functioning.
 Healthy social-emotional development for infants and toddlers unfolds in an
interpersonal context, namely that of positive ongoing relationships with
familiar, nurturing adults. Young children are particularly attuned to social and
emotional stimulation.
  Responsive caregiving supports infants in beginning to regulate their emotions
and to develop a sense of predictability, safety, and responsiveness in their
social environments. Early relationships are so important to developing infants
that research experts have broadly concluded that, in the early years,
“nurturing, stable and consistent relationships are the key to healthy growth,
development and learning” (National Research Council and Institute of
Medicine 2000, 412)

 ref. Ainsworth, M. D. 1967. Infancy in Uganda: Infant Care and the Growth of Love.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Pre Schooler
 As you study the chart, you may notice that the milestones are associated with
different aspects of social-emotional development: Some are associated with
children’s ability to engage in relationships with others, whereas others are
associated with positive self-awareness.

 Relationships with others: Preschool-age children engage in pretend play with

friends and use words and sentences to express their feelings and
thoughts.Preschoolers also improve in their ability to understand and
appropriately respond to their friends’ feelings. Children with healthy social-
emotional development have a balance of all of these components.

 Self-awareness: Preschool-age children improve their ability to control their

bodies during different activities throughout the day (e.g., sitting at circle time
or playing in the gym),

 Emotional regulation: Preschool-age children display a variety of emotions in

different ways. For example, they may say, “I’m upset,” they may match facial
expressions to happy, mad or sad, or they may laugh when excited. Although
preschoolers are better than toddlers at regulating emotions, they still need a
great deal of help and practice with developing these appropriate behaviors.

 Independence: Preschoolers with healthy independence will follow

predictable daily routines and activities at school and at home, start identifying
a favorite friend and ask that friend to play, independently play with toys and
materials at home, school, or an outdoor playground, and complete many self-
care tasks, such as getting dressed, going to the bathroom, eating snacks,
feeding themselves, or getting ready for bed. Independent preschoolers will
also tell caregivers about their day and learn and use new vocabulary daily.

Intermediate
· at this period of socio-emotional development children are spending
less time in the home. The volk of their time is spent outside the home,
either alone or with other children, rather than with adults.
· one of the most widely recognized characteristic of this period of
development is the acquisition of feelings of selfcompetence.
· the child should have a growing sense of competence. The childs
definitions of self and accomplishment vary greatly according to
interpretations in the sorrounding environment.Varied opportunities
mustbe provided in order for children to develop a sense of perseverance.
they should be offerd chances for both fail and succeed along with sincere
feedback and support.
 · During late childhood children can now describe themselves with
internal and psychological characteristics and traits. They most
likely employ more social comparisondistinguishing themselves
from others. In dealing with other chidren, they should increase in
perspective-taking. This ability increases with age.Perspective
taking enables the child to: a. judge others intentions purposes and
actions. b. give importance to social attitude and behaviors.
· increase skepticism of others claims. EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 show improved emotional understanding  increased understanding
that more than one emotion can be experienced in a single experience. 
show greater ability to show conceal emotions  utilize ways to redirect
feelings and a capacity for genuine emphaty.

Primary

 As children enter primary school, they are faced with increased demands for
well-regulated and goal-directed activities such as complying with school
rules and following group instructions. This requires the child to apply self-
regulation skills, and inhibit behaviours that might impact their ability to
participate in class. Children are also required to make friends by initiating
and sustaining positive relationships or even display interpersonal problem
solving skills when conflict arises.

 These five social-emotional competencies should be viewed in

context of the child’s developmental age. During the early primary
school years, children can be expected to display the following
behaviours:

• Able to identify emotions and display basic self-regulation skills

when angry or scared

• Be a member of a group: share, listen, take turns, cooperate,

negotiate disputes, be considerate and helpful

• Initiate social interactions

 • Resolve interpersonal conflict without fighting (e.g. compromise)

• Show empathy towards their peers

High School

 Children and adolescents exposed to violence may develop mental health

problems, impacting their ability to develop appropriate social‐emotional
skills. Limited development of social‐emotional skills has been associated
with poor performance in school.

 A review of the literature was conducted to better understand social‐

emotional development in children and its role in a child's ability to function
in the school setting.

 The developmental psychopathology framework is used to illuminate the

dynamic relationship between children and their contexts. Specifically, the
context of school is explored to identify its role in providing services that
address the needs of children and adolescents with social‐emotional
limitations.
 Stereotypes of Gender Differences BOYS GIRLS Social Self-Sufficient
Higher Self Esteem Help Seeking Congeniality Sociability Education Excels
in Math Spelling, Penmanshi p, Reading, Music, a nd Verbal Skills Family
Engages themselves with activities Autonomy over Chil dren Relationships
Conne ction and Openness
·Developing Self Esteem • Self Esteem means appreciation of Self •
 Potential endowment can be developed to a great extent through family
formatio n, school and social influences • Popularity and External Appearance
• Self- appreciation, self-reliance, autono my, energy, courage and internal
positiv e motivations
 Friendship and Intimacy Several types of Friendship • Acquaintances •
Companions • Bestfriend • Intimates