Five Major Developmental Areas

Five Major Developmental Areas

The five major developmental areas to watch in the first two years of a baby are:

1. Body Size

2. Brain Growth

3. Cognitive Development

4. Language

5. Psychosocial Development

The size of the baby is the baby is the first sign of any abnormalities in the development of the baby. Babies typically lose some once of their body weight in the firs three days but there after start gaining an ounce a day for the next several months with the birthweight doubling in four months and tripling one year.(Berger, K.S. 2014). For an average baby, if the percentile changes veers off either too fast or too slow, then there should be cause for concern.

Brain growth is the next important developmental area to watch. The body size also determines the growth of the brain. Brain growth affects later cognition. (Gilles & Nelson, 2012) (Berger, 2014). The brain grows faster than any other organ in the body. It is 25 percent of the adult size at birth and 75 percent at two years of age. The brain is responsible for the rest of the developmental areas because it is where most senses are developed due to the sophisticated wiring which deals with all stimuli. The brain and the spinal cord make up the Central Nervous System. The brain continues to develop depending on the type of stimuli it receives and parts of it that are not stimulated wither away. This is a process known as pruning; such as in gardening. (Berger 2014). Pruning helps babies respond to their experiences. That is why the nest developmental area is so crucial.

The cognitive development has to do with information processing. Babies react to stimuli because of the wiring of the brain. They see an object and are intrigued by the object. They learn to associate certain objects with feelings or desire. Their memories develop as they grow older. The six month old infant retain information longer than younger babies. They recognize their play objects and what to do with a particular object. They respond more