Development of children Essay

The social and emotional development of a childs identity and self image starts from birth. In the first five years of a childs life , children learn how to interact with others, learn what is acceptable. Every child is unique and they all develope at their own pace. Birth to 3 years- As a baby a child will overcome lots of obsticles such as hand to hand co-ordination, learning to sit up and stand, learning to feed themselves, learning to put words together. Children learn to play alongside instead of with other children, they test behaviours as they learn what is right and wrong. They need lots of emotional support from their parents. Ages 3-6 years- At this age the children will have a short attention span, They are learning self awareness and imagination, what is socially acceptable behaviour and what is not. The child will start to develope more language and communication skills and they will be starting to assert their own identity. Age 7, They will be identifying feelings and emotions, identifying dangerous situations and who to go to for help. They will be learning to identify the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’. Age 8, The child will be able to express emotions in appropriate ways i.e appreciation, anger. Calm themselves and control strong emotions. Eight year olds will be proud of the fact they are able to do many things on their own and will express a desire for privacy. At the same time they will still need guidence and support from their parents.They may compare themselves to their friends and peers. Ages 9-12 , Children should have good communication skills, i.e communication care consideration and respect. Identify personal skills, recognise the difference between positive and negative friendships and understand the importance of family. Ages 12-16- this is a time where children reach sexual maturity and form an adult identity. During adolescence , physical changes in height and weight are usually a noticable change. Mood swings are common due to the increase in hormones. Between 12 and 16, they begin to imagine the possibilities life holds and start to set personal goals. Influences which may affect development in children include- -Stress -Negative experiences -Genetic illnesses, disorders and allergies -The childs background and where they may live -The influence of adults around the child -Religious social and economic factors. How might adults within a school setting encourage pupils to recognise and express thier own emotions? What are the possible signs and possible causes of emotional distress? Within school teachers can encourage children to recognise and express their emotions through role playing, art & design, drama, music, poatry and stories. These can provide an important opportunity for developing self confidence. An example of this is circle time sessions, these provide social and emotional learning. The class of pupils sit in a circle, exchanging ideas and feelings on different topics which are important to them . As they are sat in a circle, there is no leader, they are all equal and all have the opportunity to speak. Pupils can bring their own ideas or concerns to the circle and offer encouragement to others. Most schools have a school council where pupils can take part in desicion making. Students can bring up school improvement issues or issues affecting the classroom. Possible causes of emotional distress- -Problems at school, bullying or struggling with the work -Feeling left out and lonely, or having trouble making friends -Problems at home i.e parents not getting along and arguing. Maybe the parents have split up or the child has a new family member. -Death of a pet or relative -Abuse Possible signs of emotional distress- -Refusing to go to school -Difficulty learning -illness -Sad, frequent crying -Nightmare, difficulty sleeping -Moody and temper tantrums -Anxeity and panic attacks -Unable to concentrate -Unable to eat In teenagers some other signs could include -Alcohol/drug abuse -Violence/thefts -Not looking after themselves or over-concern with thier appearence -Self harm. Task 7 , Describe your expected role in the care and support of Individual pupils. A teaching assistant would provide care & support by encouraging the child to concentrate on what has been asked of them. Some children will require more one on one attention to help them to understand. This could involve repeating and explaining instructions from the teacher in a more simple manner. Some pupils may need extra help finding thier way around the school and getting to class rooms on time. In younger children, assisting them in the bathroom, and helping them to get dressed. Helping disabled children with physical activities such as swimming or P.E. The teaching assistant may be required to support children outside of school too, such as educational visits. Good quality relationships between children and teachers are very important when providing support, whether the relationship is through a single lesson or over a number of lessons. To gain a good relationship the teaching assistant should use good communication skills, such as friendly body language, eye contact, listening and showing respect. Greet the children by name, even out of class. Show some interest in their interests. Celebrate their achievements and display their work. What possible problems may you encounter and briefly describe how you might deal with each case? Through day to day contact with pupils, staff have an important role to play in noticing indicators of possible problems, Such as peer pressure and internal group dynamics. This could result in misunderstandings, strong emotions and class disruptions.The teaching assistant should recognise uncharacteristic behaviour patterns in pupils and deal with any difficulities which could damage the relationship with the pupil. Some problems a teaching assistant may encounter could be a disruptive pupil questioning authority, unhappy with marks they have been given on there work. A student may be emotionally unstable and become aggressive towards the staff. Constant disruptions prevent other students from concentrating on their work. Teaching assistants should always act within the policies and codes of conduct so they do not put themselves into situations that could lead to misunderstanding or accusations. When responding to these situations , the teaching assistant should remind the pupils of class room rules. The pupil may want to back track on what has been said. This should be honoured but remind the pupil that these disruptions will not be tolerated. If the problem is repeated the student should be removed from the classroom and the problem discussed with a supervisor. These incidents should be recorded. What is your role in responding to accidents and aliments? The teaching assistant does not have the sole responsibility for the safety of pupils and staff but if an emergency should arise the teaching assitant will need to act fast- – The teaching assistant should report any changes to a childs well-being to the teacher immediately. – Alert the emmergency services if necessary and obtain medical equipment for the first aider. – Reassure the pupil and make them comfortable. – Comply with the schools policy about recording a childs health. -Once the situation is stable , the parents should be notified. List common childhood illnesses and briefly discribe how you would recognise the symptoms of those illnesses in the children that you support