Stages of Development
G.Umamageswari
Assistant Profesor of Education
Stages of Development
• Human life is categorized into various development stages. From the day
infant is born to old age.
• Age Range Age Range of Infancy is 0-5/6 years old- Early Childhood
(often called as pre school years)
• Early childhood development is defined as “a set of concepts,
principles, and facts that explain, describe and account for the
processes involved in change from immature to mature status and
functioning”
• According to Bredecamp and Copple (1997), this period of
development is characterized by rapid gross motor development
(e.g., jumping, hopping, skipping), refined movement of small
muscles for object manipulation, major increases in vocabulary and
use of language, abstract representation of mental constructs, and
the development of relationships with other young children.
Childhood
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Age Range
Age Range of Childhood is 2-12 years
Physical Development
Early Development follows principles of cephalocaudally and proximodistal
The brain and head grow more rapidly than any other part of the body
During middle and late childhood, an increase in weight is due to an increase in the size of the skeletal and muscular systems
Cognitive Development
Children acquire Object Permanence
Language Development is one of the hallmarks of this period which is known as symbolic thinking
Key concepts during this period are animism in which children attribute feelings to inanimate objects and egocentrism in which
children view the world from their own point of view only
Socio-Emotional Development
Crucial dimensions of socio-emotional development of children are Self, Gender and Moral Development
Parents and Socialization process helps in forming the self-image of child
Adolescence
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Age Range
The Age Range of adolescence is 12-19 years
Physical Development
Puberty marks the end of childhood and signifies the beginning of adolescence which is characterized by dramatic
physical changes in both growth rate and sexual characteristics
Hormones released during puberty help in the development of primary and sexual characteristics
Puberty in boys is characterized by an acceleration in growth, facial hair, and change in voice and height
Puberty in girls is marked by menarche which is the onset of menstruation, the rapid growth of height, etc
Cognitive Development
Adolescent thinking becomes more systematic problem-solving, identify possible courses of action, understand the
causes and thus seek solutions accordingly
Jean Piaget called this as Hypothetical Deductive Reasoning
Socio-Emotional Development
As per David Elkind, Egocentrism prevails during Adolescence in the following manner
1)Personal Fable -Adolescents feel that nobody can understand their feelings
2) Imaginary Audience –Adolescents believe that everyone is preoccupied with them and hence, become selfconscious.
Identity Formation also takes place during this stage