1

Discussion

Patterns in Development; Developmental Sequence

According to Sugandha (2017), In order to describe the developmental

process of the child, practitioners should base their observations on the following

area of development;

Physical Development

This area of development studies how children acquire the below physical

abilities to perform certain activities.

Gross Motor Skills – These are movements made by large limbs such as kicking

a ball, pulling a heavy object or throwing an object.

Fine Motor Skills – These are fine and precise movement shown when holding a

pencil correctly, retrieving a tiny object from the floor.

Locomotive Skills – These are skills for balancing the body such as walking on a

line, standing on one foot for a few minutes.

Cognitive Development

This area of development describes the intellectual development of the

child. Children show a profound development in receiving, retaining, processing

information. They are learning to think logical and understand. They are able to

form imagination and learn problem solving skills.

Communication Development

This area of development considers the ability to communicate

information in the form of speech, verbal and non-verbal, reading and writing,

asking questions, discussing and gestures through body language.

Social and Emotional Development

This area of development deals with children’s ability to express their

feelings and emotions. It also includes forming relationships, self- identity, social

behaviour as how to speak courteously, caring for oneself and others and also

how to deal with their emotions.

Moral Development

This area of development is closely related to the Social and Emotional

Development. Here children are able to learn how to distinguish between right or

wrong activities, how to react and behave towards others, how to make the right

choices and they develop abstract moral reasoning.

Researchers have observed that the development of children follows an

expected stage in the form of time spans. This is referred to as Four Stages of

Development according to Maria Montessori.

First Plane of Development (0-6 Years) – The Period of Infancy

0-3 Years

The human baby is fully dependent on the adult for its movement and

interpretation of his needs, unlike other species of beings that are able to walk or

make same kind of noises like their adults, almost immediately after they are

born. The human child can only express by crying.

3-6 Years

During this period the child of three although more physically

proportionate than the child between birth to three, the child is still perfecting his

coordination of movements. The Absorbent Mind along with the Sensitive

Periods is still functioning, the child is absorbing all the impressions that

surround his environment; however he is now able to question and reason

before he accepts what he sees. The period between three to six marks the

period of expansion, consolidation and completion.

Second Plane of Development (6 – 12 Years) – The Period of Childhood

At this stage the child is physically independent and is stronger. The child

constantly engages in activities to test how strong, fast, daring and challenging

he/she is. The infant soft hair disappears and the first tooth falls. The child

becomes slim, lean, limbs become larger showing proportion of an adult. There

is mental and physical stability, a uniform growth.

Third Plane of Development (12 – 18 Years) – The Period of Adolescence

Arrival of puberty marks the end of childhood and is the beginning of

adolescence. Enormous changes occur both physically and mentally. Physically,

between the ages 12 – 15, the body is disproportionate. The body reaches full

maturity between fifteen and eighteen. The period is aimed at constructing a

social self. It is characterised by self concern and self assessment. By exploring

wider cultural issues, in relation to society at large, the adolescent is capable of

critical thinking and re-evaluation.

Psychologically they become more aware of the social being and

therefore are ultra sensitive and easily discouraged. The adolescent becomes

interested in music, drama, dance and other creative activities, because these

activities allows them self-expressions and begins to idolize people and

organizations, which can lead to appreciate social values or engage in anti-

social behaviors.

Fourth Plane of Development (18 – 24 Years) – The Period of Maturity or

Adulthood

The fourth plane of development is similar to the first plane, in that it is the

period of consolidation and expansion. This plane depends on how the child has

passed the earlier planes of development. If all the needs in the above planes

have been fulfilled the child will feel secure and well adapted to his environment,

is more able to make decisions on how life should be and how to contribute to

the human values.

Influences of Development

Young children are easily influenced by various factors in the environment

which affects their learning and behavioral process. They can be affected by

various social, environmental, economic and biological factors.

Personal Factors

Personal factors are those that are influenced by nature or genetic

formation such as:

Problems during pregnancy and at birth

An embryo is made up of 46 chromosomes which carried the genetic

information of both male and the female partners. An embryo may not survive if

there are changes in the number of chromosome.If the embryo does survive, the

extra or the missing chromosome will cause an effect in the learning and

development of the child.

The fetal development of the child can be also affected due to mother’s

behaviour towards health. If the mother continues to smoke and consume drugs

during pregnancy can harm the child. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

have distinct facial features including small and narrow eyes, a small head, a

smooth area between the nose and the lips and a thin upper lip. They also show

symptoms such as hearing, facial, immune system problems, epilepsy etc.

Children can also be affected if they are born prematurely whereby there

development can be delayed.

Health

The development of the child can be affected due to genetic disorders.

For example, a blood disorder such as sickle cell disease can be a barrier for

development, as the child may not be able to fully participate in any physical

activities which require gross muscle movements.

Disabilities

Children with disabilities are challenged with cognitive abilities and

physical growth. Many disabilities are caused due to genetic conditions at birth,

for example Down Syndrome.

Those factors may affect the children in acquiring a language. But in the

following timeline gives an overview of the ages at which children generally

acquire language:

4-6 months: Babbling using all sounds.

6-9 months: Babbling becomes more focused—narrowing of sounds.

10-12 months: First words develop.

18-24 moths: Children begin using two-word phrases.

2-3 years: Children begin using three words phrases in correct order with

inflection.

4-5 years: Children starts speaking with nearly complete syntax.

5-7 years: Children begin using and understanding more complex language.

9 years and older: Children understand almost all forms of language.

Conclusion

Human, especially children have an amazing capability to learn

language. Each child develops at their own pace of time because before

birth, after and until adulthood, they grow and develop continually. However,

all learners of a language will pass through the same order of acquisition

regardless of their backgrounds and different learning environment.

All children learn in basic stages, but there are still developmental

patterns that everyone must consider. Since parents are a child’s first

teacher, it is important to describe and determine developmental stages in

advance in order to adjust teaching to the child’s present developmental

stages. It is therefore important to introduce the patterns and sequences of

development in order to observe the factors that hinder or facilitate progress

on the way of learning the language.