Child Development

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The study of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth and development of children from birth through adolescence.

"Child development involves the biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence."
"Childhood is divided into three stages of life which include early childhood, middle childhood, and late childhood (preadolescence)."
"Many of life's milestones happen during this time period such as first words, learning to crawl, and learning to walk."
"Adolescence is the stage of life that typically starts around the major onset of puberty, with markers such as menarche and spermarche, typically occurring at 12–13 years of age."
"It has been defined as ages 10 to 19 by the World Health Organization."
"In the course of development, the individual human progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy."
"Developmental change may occur as a result of genetically controlled processes, known as maturation, or environmental factors and learning."
"As genetic factors and events during prenatal life may strongly influence developmental changes, genetics and prenatal development usually form a part of the study of child development."
"Some age-related development periods with defined intervals include: newborn (ages 0–3 months); infant (ages 3 months - 1 year); toddler (ages 1–3 years); preschooler (ages 3 - 6 years); school-aged child (ages 6–12 years); teens (ages 13–19 years)."
"Parents play a large role in a child's activities, socialization, and development; having multiple parents can add stability to a child's life and therefore encourage healthy development."
"Child-care programs may be beneficial for childhood development such as learning capabilities and social skills."
"The optimal development of children is considered vital to society."
"It is important to understand the social, cognitive, emotional, and educational development of children."
"Increased research and interest in this field has resulted in new theories and strategies, especially with regard to practices that promote development within the school systems."
"Some theories seek to describe a sequence of states that compose child development."