Many parents feel concerned if their child does not develop ‘normally’. During preventive examinations, children are assessed against accepted average growth and skills scales. Is the child developing appropriately for their age, and do they fall within established statistical norms? To some extent, such a comparison does of course make sense. With its help, paediatricians can, for example, distinguish healthy children from those who are ill (and, of course, require specific treatment). Many parents become worried as soon as even a slight deviation from the norm appears. Every child, however, develops as quickly as they can. Some children ‘make a false start’, while others are ‘slow to get going’, and this does not in any way determine a ‘better’ or ‘worse’ assessment.
Children eagerly and inquisitively take in a wide range of impressions from their surroundings
If a developmental difficulty is suspected, parents should confidently consult a paediatric physiotherapist. Every child will always show smaller or larger differences in development. Personality and temperament play roles that are just as important as innate predispositions, the maturity of the internal organs and the child's state of health. Development from newborn to young child does follow a particular sequence, but the speed at which individual developmental stages are reached differs for every child. The following principles apply in child-development theory.
Development does not proceed at the same pace or in exactly the same sequence for every child. The transition to walking illustrates this variation: some children crawl only briefly before attempting independent steps, while others crawl for longer and begin walking later.
A child's development over time can be irregular. The little one may learn in ‘leaps’. Between these are periods when the child seems to be making almost no progress at all. During such pauses, the child must thoroughly consolidate the skills they have only just acquired.
When a child learns something new, they seem to have forgotten a skill they had previously mastered
Appearances can be deceptive, because the little one is completely focused on their new 'acquisition'. As soon as the new skill has been perfected, other previously learnt skills will become visible again. Before a baby can make intentional movements, several reflexes need to disappear. This applies, for example, to the grasp reflex. Only once it has disappeared can the child consciously pick up an object.
The development and control of individual movement abilities (motor skills) follow a particular sequence. They begin at the head and end at the toes.
A child's developmental status cannot be assessed solely on the basis of what they can already do,
but it is also necessary to consider how deliberate and confident the child's movements have become.
During the first two years of life, parents can already learn a great deal about their child's personality. Some children are spirited and strong-willed, learning new skills enthusiastically and quickly.
A child's temperament may influence how readily they practise and demonstrate new skills.
Through persistent and bold attempts, they test what their bodies and minds can do. They investigate everything around them with the enthusiasm and joy of an explorer. Nothing seems dangerous to them. Children who are more cautious and restrained often master successive stages of learning more slowly and with intense concentration. They often demonstrate their skills only when they feel completely confident in them.
Adults Should Set Aside Their Own Expectations and Give the Child Time to Develop
Between the extremes, there is always a whole range of possible time frames in which children's maturation processes take place. Any assessments measured against average values must therefore always be treated as relative. Comparisons with other children are difficult and mainly serve to satisfy parents' ambitions. However, parents should not simply dismiss potential delays either.
Emilia Adamczyk