Typical and Atypical Development Among Children

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering typical and atypical child development, theoretical frameworks, developmental domains, and life stages from infancy through adolescence.

Child Development

The pattern of growth, change, and stability that occurs from conception up until adolescence.

Developmental Milestones

The developmental skills or abilities that need to be mastered, usually at the same rate, which act as a guide for ideal development and help monitor progress.

Psychosocial Development Theory

Erik Erikson's eight-stage theory describing changes across a lifetime through social interaction, centered on resolving specific conflicts or crises to emerge with a psychological virtue.

Sensorimotor Stage

Jean Piaget's first cognitive developmental stage (from birth to 2 years old), during which a child's knowledge is limited to his or her use of the senses.

Preoperational Stage

Jean Piaget's second cognitive developmental stage (from 2 to 6 years old), where a child learns through the use of language, but mental manipulation of information does not take place yet.

Concrete Operational Stage

Jean Piaget's third cognitive developmental stage (from 7 to 11 years old), characterized by logical thinking and a better understanding of mental operations, though abstract concepts remain difficult.

Formal Operational Stage

Jean Piaget's fourth cognitive developmental stage (from 12 years old to adulthood), in which a person develops the ability to think in abstract concepts.

Sociocultural Theory

Lev Vygotsky's theory proposing that children learn actively through hands-on experiences, emphasizing the integral role of culture, parents, caregivers, and peers in learning.

Zone of Proximal Development

Lev Vygotsky's concept describing the portion in between what a learner can do on his or her own and what can be done with help, representing the zone where children learn best.

Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura's theory asserting that learning takes place through observation and modeling the actions of people in one's environment.

Typical Development

The normal progression where children grow by acquiring knowledge, skills, and behavior (developmental milestones) within a certain expected time frame.

Atypical Development

A term used when development does not follow the normal course, such as when a child reaches a milestone noticeably earlier or later than other children his or her age.

Principles of Child Development

Three commonly accepted tenets: 1. Rate of development differs among children; 2. Development occurs in a relatively orderly process; and 3. Development takes place gradually.

Physical Domain

The developmental domain covering physical changes such as size, strength, gross and fine motor skills, and sensory development, which can be influenced by illness and nutrition.

Social-Emotional Domain

The developmental domain involving a child's experience, expression, and management of emotions, along with intrapersonal and interpersonal processes that establish positive relationships with others.

Language Domain

The developmental domain referring to the process of acquiring language in a consistent order without the need for explicit teaching from the environment.

Cognitive Domain

The developmental domain relating to the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision making.

Infancy (Birth to 2 Years)

A critical period characterized by rapid growth, regarded as the building block for succeeding stages in attaining crucial knowledge, skills, and behaviors.

Early Childhood (3 to 8 Years)

A stage of slow growth and rapid development often labeled the exploratory and questioning stage because children enjoy discovering new things in their surroundings.

Middle Childhood (9 to 11 Years)

A stage bringing various changes where children assert independence, form stronger friendships, experience growth spurts, and require more tasks to cultivate responsibility.

Adolescence (12 to 18 Years)

The stage where puberty begins and is mostly completed, peer pressure emerges, and individuals (now called teens) become vocal about their opinions as they develop unique personalities.