"Child development involves the biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence."
This subfield focuses on the physical, mental, and emotional development of children and youth.
Child and Adolescent Development: The study of how children and adolescents grow and change physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially from birth to age 18.
Theories of Child Development: Overview of theoretical perspectives on how children develop, including cognitive, behavioral, and social learning theories.
Stages of Child Development: Detailed examination of various stages of development, such as infancy, toddlerhood, early and middle childhood, and adolescence.
Developmental Milestones: Identification of key physical, cognitive, and emotional milestones that children typically achieve at different ages.
Cognitive Development: The study of how children develop their abilities to think, reason, understand, and remember.
Social and Emotional Development: The study of how children form relationships, regulate their emotions, and develop a sense of self and identity.
Language Development: Investigation of how children learn to communicate, including milestones in receptive and expressive language.
Play and Playful Learning: Exploration of the critical role that play has in children's physical, intellectual, and social development.
Family and Parenting: Discussion of how family dynamics, parenting styles, and other factors influence child development.
Culture and Diversity: Analysis of how cultural and ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and other factors affect child development.
Child Psychology: Introduction to the field of child psychology and its subfields, including developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and educational psychology.
Child Health and Nutrition: Overview of key issues related to child health and well-being, including nutrition, physical activity, and disease prevention.
Assessment and Evaluation: Methods for assessing and evaluating child development, including standardized tests, observations, and interviews.
Interventions and Treatment: Introduction to various interventions and treatments that can promote healthy child development, including behavioral and cognitive therapies, educational interventions, and medication.
"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."