Child development
0 – 2 Years
Key Developments
The time from birth to two years is a key time in a child’s development and for the majority of children, language is only just beginning to develop as the child approaches two years of age. Consequently, it is really important that we are aware of non-verbal signs of sexual abuse (hyperlink to signs and indicators) and understand how we can communicate with babies and toddlers when we have concerns about sexual abuse.
Whilst spoken language remains somewhat underdeveloped at this age, it is possible that babies as young as 9 months may begin to use single words such as “mama” or “dada” and by the age of 2 the child may be able to string some words together. At this age, any loss of acquired language should be noted as a potential cause for concern as this may indicate that the child has experienced a trauma. Whilst other hypotheses should be borne in mind, it is important to consider whether the child may be experiencing sexual abuse, especially if there are any other signs or indicators (hyperlink to signs and indicators).
Although some language may develop during this time, the vast majority of communication at this age will be non-verbal and then by the time a child reaches 18 months, they may be able to communicate how they are thinking and feeling through the use of gestures or basic sign language. Consequently, it is important that we are aware of how the child communicates and that we understand the meaning of any words, gestures, sign language they use. Understanding how the child communicates is key, especially as words, gestures and signs will mean different things to different children.
If you are able to develop a catalogue of communication the child uses this will help to ensure you, and anyone else who communicates with this child, can do so as effectively as possible. It will be necessary to develop this by asking people who know the child, most likely their parents or primary carers, how they communicate. Some questions that may be useful to ask in building up this catalogue of information are:
- How does the child communicate distress?
- How does the child communicate happiness?
- How does the child make a request (e.g. for a drink, food etc)
- Are there any particular words the child understands?
- Does the child use any spoken words yet?
- If the child is using spoken words, is the meaning clear?
- Does the child use any form of sign language?
- Does the child use any other strategies for communicating?
3 – 5 Years
From the age of two to five years, children’s use of language can develop significantly and for some children their range of vocabulary may increase from 50 to 3000 words. For other children their language development may be much slower or may not develop at all and approximately 7% of children around five years of age have speech, language and communication needs.
At around 3 or 4 years old children can often identify and label their emotions and are developing the capacity to self-soothe when distressed. However, these will very much depend upon the enviornment the child is living in. Self-soothing is learnt from the child’s primary caregivers and may be delayed in children whose parents struggle to manage their own emotions or behave in neglectful or abuse ways towards their children.
6 – 9 Years
There are a number of developmental changes happening for children in this age-group and these things will all be important to consider when you are thinking about how you will communicate with the child.
At this age the child’s sense of their place in the family is developing and may feel somewhat contradictory in that they may feel a strong need to be part of a family whilst simultaneously developing their independence. The child’s sense of morality is developing and they are beginning to develop empathy, although empathy is not fully developed for many more years.
Around this time children are starting to develop their social conscience and are likely to be navigating their way around making decisions. For example, they may be thinking things such as “I want to take that but if I do my parents will be unhappy with me”. At this age children are beginning to strengthen their relationships with peers and these relationships are becoming increasingly more meaningful to both parties.
10 – 13 Years
At this age young people are beginning to reason in more logical ways and their capacity to use complex problem solving is developing. Young people at this age may be using language in more complex ways including to tell detailed stories, engage in arguments or debates, and to differentiate between fantasy and reality.
Young people are developing a growing sexual awareness and may experience feelings of embarrassment, shame, guilt and excitement in relation to these developing feelings. Some children may reach puberty at this time, a time which is well recognised as bringing a number of physical and emotional changes.
Young people at this age may prefer to communicate using technology and it is possible that the child will be using online gaming and social media regularly to communicate with peers. This may bring with it some confusion for the child as they are exposed to potentially new information (e.g. pornography).
14 – 15 years
At this age young people may appear less communicative as they try to navigate the complexities of managing emotions, problem solving and developing relationships. Young people may prefer to communicate via technology as this gains increasing prominence in their world. The world may seem very complex for young people at this age as they become exposed to a wide range of different material and messages. This is also a time where children may begin to develop sexual relationships.
As young people become exposed to different messages, we should remain mindful of the impact this can have on their mental health. Young people at this age are particularly vulnerable to engaging in self-injurious behaviours, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, developing eating disorders, and other mental health concerns. It is, however, important to note that these difficulties may be present at any age.
16 – 18 Years
By age 16, many young people are developing the ability to think abstractly, deal with several concepts at the same time, and imagine the future consequences of their actions. This type of thinking in a logical sequence continues to develop into adulthood.
Young people can learn to process more complex problems, understand analogies and develop and test theories. Written and spoken language become more and more sophisticated and they may be developing their knowledge of moral, social or philosophical concepts. They may also begin to grasp political, moral, social, and philosophical concepts.
Key Developments
The time from birth to two years is a key time in a child’s development and for the majority of children, language is only just beginning to develop as the child approaches two years of age. Consequently, it is really important that we are aware of non-verbal signs of sexual abuse (hyperlink to signs and indicators) and understand how we can communicate with babies and toddlers when we have concerns about sexual abuse.
Whilst spoken language remains somewhat underdeveloped at this age, it is possible that babies as young as 9 months may begin to use single words such as “mama” or “dada” and by the age of 2 the child may be able to string some words together. At this age, any loss of acquired language should be noted as a potential cause for concern as this may indicate that the child has experienced a trauma. Whilst other hypotheses should be borne in mind, it is important to consider whether the child may be experiencing sexual abuse, especially if there are any other signs or indicators (hyperlink to signs and indicators).
Although some language may develop during this time, the vast majority of communication at this age will be non-verbal and then by the time a child reaches 18 months, they may be able to communicate how they are thinking and feeling through the use of gestures or basic sign language. Consequently, it is important that we are aware of how the child communicates and that we understand the meaning of any words, gestures, sign language they use. Understanding how the child communicates is key, especially as words, gestures and signs will mean different things to different children.
If you are able to develop a catalogue of communication the child uses this will help to ensure you, and anyone else who communicates with this child, can do so as effectively as possible. It will be necessary to develop this by asking people who know the child, most likely their parents or primary carers, how they communicate. Some questions that may be useful to ask in building up this catalogue of information are:
- How does the child communicate distress?
- How does the child communicate happiness?
- How does the child make a request (e.g. for a drink, food etc)
- Are there any particular words the child understands?
- Does the child use any spoken words yet?
- If the child is using spoken words, is the meaning clear?
- Does the child use any form of sign language?
- Does the child use any other strategies for communicating?
3 – 5 Years
From the age of two to five years, children’s use of language can develop significantly and for some children their range of vocabulary may increase from 50 to 3000 words. For other children their language development may be much slower or may not develop at all and approximately 7% of children around five years of age have speech, language and communication needs.
At around 3 or 4 years old children can often identify and label their emotions and are developing the capacity to self-soothe when distressed. However, these will very much depend upon the enviornment the child is living in. Self-soothing is learnt from the child’s primary caregivers and may be delayed in children whose parents struggle to manage their own emotions or behave in neglectful or abuse ways towards their children.
6 – 9 Years
There are a number of developmental changes happening for children in this age-group and these things will all be important to consider when you are thinking about how you will communicate with the child.
At this age the child’s sense of their place in the family is developing and may feel somewhat contradictory in that they may feel a strong need to be part of a family whilst simultaneously developing their independence. The child’s sense of morality is developing and they are beginning to develop empathy, although empathy is not fully developed for many more years.
Around this time children are starting to develop their social conscience and are likely to be navigating their way around making decisions. For example, they may be thinking things such as “I want to take that but if I do my parents will be unhappy with me”. At this age children are beginning to strengthen their relationships with peers and these relationships are becoming increasingly more meaningful to both parties.
10 – 13 Years
At this age young people are beginning to reason in more logical ways and their capacity to use complex problem solving is developing. Young people at this age may be using language in more complex ways including to tell detailed stories, engage in arguments or debates, and to differentiate between fantasy and reality.
Young people are developing a growing sexual awareness and may experience feelings of embarrassment, shame, guilt and excitement in relation to these developing feelings. Some children may reach puberty at this time, a time which is well recognised as bringing a number of physical and emotional changes.
Young people at this age may prefer to communicate using technology and it is possible that the child will be using online gaming and social media regularly to communicate with peers. This may bring with it some confusion for the child as they are exposed to potentially new information (e.g. pornography).
14 – 15 years
At this age young people may appear less communicative as they try to navigate the complexities of managing emotions, problem solving and developing relationships. Young people may prefer to communicate via technology as this gains increasing prominence in their world. The world may seem very complex for young people at this age as they become exposed to a wide range of different material and messages. This is also a time where children may begin to develop sexual relationships.
As young people become exposed to different messages, we should remain mindful of the impact this can have on their mental health. Young people at this age are particularly vulnerable to engaging in self-injurious behaviours, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, developing eating disorders, and other mental health concerns. It is, however, important to note that these difficulties may be present at any age.
16 – 18 Years
By age 16, many young people are developing the ability to think abstractly, deal with several concepts at the same time, and imagine the future consequences of their actions. This type of thinking in a logical sequence continues to develop into adulthood.
Young people can learn to process more complex problems, understand analogies and develop and test theories. Written and spoken language become more and more sophisticated and they may be developing their knowledge of moral, social or philosophical concepts. They may also begin to grasp political, moral, social, and philosophical concepts.