Maharashtra Board Class 11 Child Development Chapter 2 Principles of Development PDF Download

Principles Of Development

If you have to make a cup of tea what is it that you would do?

Write down the steps in making a cup of tea.

1. ............................................................................................................................................

2. ............................................................................................................................................

3. ............................................................................................................................................

4. ............................................................................................................................................

5. ............................................................................................................................................

You must have realised from the above activity that there is a certain sequence while doing things.

The process of human development too follows a certain order. It proceeds in stages which are interrelated. Though the process of development follows a specific sequence and pattern, the rate of development varies at different stages for different individuals.

The knowledge of the developmental pattern enables parents and teachers to guide the child's learning and helps to prepare children ahead of time for the changes that take place in their bodies.

To understand the pattern of development, it is necessary to recognize the fundamentals of development and identify the causes of variations in development.

The fundamental facts about development are called as 'Principles of Development'.

Let us try to understand this with an example.

Have you seen any child sitting at birth?

Have you heard an infant utter words during the first two months of its life?

Have you seen a baby holding a toy at birth?

So what does this tell us?

Teacher's Note

A baby cannot sit or talk at birth. These skills come later as the baby grows. This is like how a seed takes time to grow into a plant.

Exam Trick

Remember: A baby develops in stages - first head control, then sitting, then walking. Just like building a house, you need a strong foundation first.

Points to Remember

Development happens in a fixed order.
Different children develop at different speeds.
Development involves changes in body and mind.
Parents and teachers help children develop.
Development starts from birth and continues all life.

Principles Of Development

From the above activity you have realized that development has a specific direction, it is continuous and it involves changes. Principles of development apply to all domains of development. Let's look at these in detail.

1. Development Involves Change

Development refers to changes that occur through growth and development. Growth is quantitative which means it refers only to physical aspects eg. increase in height and weight. Development is qualitative in nature and refers to all aspects such as physical, motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social and moral. It includes all the changes leading towards maturity.

2. Development Is Continuous

Development is a process of change which continues from the moment of conception till death. As we have already studied in the definition of development earlier, it is a series of quantitative and qualitative changes which proceed continuously. What happens at one stage has its influence on the following stage. For example, the tooth of a baby may appear overnight but the process of this development has begun as early as the fifth foetal month. However, development proceeds at a slow pace and the teeth are ready to erupt only when the baby is about five months old.

3. Development Follows A Predictable Pattern

Development is specific to all and follows a predictable definite pattern. Many longitudinal studies on children demonstrate that developmental changes follow a specific pattern which is similar in all individuals. During the prenatal period a genetic sequence of traits appears at fixed intervals and continues during the post-natal period. Development takes place according to two laws of directional sequences which are as follows.

a) Cephalocaudal Sequence: Development proceeds from head to toe. The head and brain develops first followed by the neck, torso and rest of the body.

b) Proximodistal Sequence: Development proceeds from centre to extremities. The child first gains control over the spine followed by strengthening of the arms upto the fingers.

Teacher's Note

Babies first learn to control their head, then their body. This is like learning - first you learn letters, then words, then sentences.

Exam Trick

Remember: Cephalocaudal = head to tail (like a tadpole). Proximodistal = near to far (near your body to far away from your body).

Points to Remember

Head develops before legs.
Arms develop before fingers.
Development follows a fixed pattern in all children.
Every child reaches milestones in the same order.
The speed of development may be different but the order is always the same.

This is a preview of the first 3 pages. To get the complete book, click below.