Development

‘PIES’• P = Physical• I = Intellectual• E = Emotional• S = Social

Physical Development…

• Includes growth and maturation of bones, muscles, motor skills, and senses

Intellectual Development…

• includes the maturation of mental processes such as learning, imagination, memory and perception

Emotional Development…

• Includes the maturation and evolution of emotions, social skills, identity, personality, and morals

Social Development…

• Includes the evolution of knowledge of how people interact, play, share, take turns, or talk socially

Characteristics of Development

1. Development is similar for everyone

- Children go through the same stages in about the same order

- i.e. – all babies stand

before they can walk

2. Development builds on earlier learning

- Development is step-by-step or ‘sequential’ in nature

- The skills learned at one stage build directly on those mastered earlier

- i.e. – a child must learn to walk before running

- i.e. – a child learns sounds before words

3. Development proceeds at an individual rate

- The rate of growth differs from one child to another

4. The different areas of development are interrelated

- Changes take place in many areas at the same time

- One area of development impacts another

- i.e. – learning to walk helps to develop the opportunity to learn to speak

5. Development is continuous throughout life

- Development may be slow at some times and rapid at others, but it never stops

Growth vs. Maturation

• Growth refers to physical size, like height and weight

• Maturation refers to a series of biological changes in a child providing new abilities

• Much of maturation depends on changes in the brain & the nervous system enabling children to have improved thinking & motor skills

• Children must mature to a certain point before they can gain some skills (Piaget)

• i.e. – the brain of a 4 month old child has not matured enough to allow the child to use language (they are capable of making gutteral sounds only like babbling)

• Development depends upon maturation

• All children develop at their own rate

• Both growth and maturation are controlled by hereditary factors, but are also influenced by the environment in which the individual is living

Example

• Observe grade 9 versus grade 12 boys… • grade 9 boys often have larger hands and

feet in proportion to their bodies; they may have some degree of awkwardness – they are growing, but not yet matured

• Grade 12 boys typically have more coordination because their body parts are more proportionate – they have grown AND matured

It ain’t easy bein’ a teen…