Arnold gesell theory nature vs nurture

Theoretical Knowledge And Professional Practice Week 1

To prepare for this discussion, read the Week One Instructor Guidance.From theory to practice provides an overview of the main theories relevant to child development. Remember that the topic of child development can be applied to multiple disciplines – from play therapists, to educators, to social workers. Theorists such as Freud, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson, have been studying child development for decades. These notable figures have contributed significantly to the study of child development. Understanding the basic theoretical tenants will deepen your professional knowledge of how young children develop and how that relates to your work with children.

Initial Post –Reference two scholarly resources in addition to the textbook to support your explanations and evaluations for the prompts that follow:

Describe how understanding theories of child development can assist you in your chosen profession. Use specific examples and evidence from the textbook and additional research.

Explain the theories that most closely align with your personal philosophy or approach to child development. Use specific examples to illustrate your perspective.

In a graphic organizer of your choice, describe the major differences and similarities of each of the leading child development theories discussed in the textbook. Attach your organizer to your initial discussion post. You can use an MS Word table, a graphic organizer from Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, a mind map (e.g., using Bubble.Us or Coggle), or any other creative software choice that suits your needs for illustrating the comparison. See Attachment sample

ECE 205 CHILD DEVELOPMENT

WEEK ONE INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE

Pat Yourself on the Back for starting this course!

“When dealing with children there is greater need for observing than of probing.”

-Maria Montessori

Overview of the Learning Week

Welcome to ECE 205: Child Development. In this course you will become familiar with the influences on child

development by gaining a better understanding of why studying child development is important. You will be

discussing the major theorists and their theories, as well as identifying the developmental ages and stages

associated with each. In the Week One guidance, Chapters 1 and 3 will be examined.

Think about your chosen profession.

 Are you familiar with the ages, stages, and milestones of child development?

 Do you know how to work with children of all developing stages?

 Do you understand developmentally appropriate practices in relation to a child’s age and

developmental stage?

http://www.dailymontessori.com/montessori-theory/
In your profession, you will help children, families, and colleagues better understand child development by

empowering them with ways to reach children at their developmental stage that will help with motor,

cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and self-help skills.

This week you will begin by examining your own personal beliefs about child development. You will be asked

to think back to when you were a child and remember things that contributed to your development. You will

also decide why understanding child development and the study of child development is important in your

chosen profession. Developmental theories will also be examined.

Instructor Expertise

You may be asking why the study of child development is so important. You, as someone working with

children, play a huge role and have a great impact on each child by providing appropriate experiences,

support, and direction child so they reach their optimum developmental level.

What is Child Development and Why Study It?

In 1976, Gene R. Medinnus determined in his Child Study and Observation Guide that there are four principal

reasons for studying children. They are:

1. Having a natural curiosity about human development

2. Needing assistance in guiding children’s development

3. Wanting to better predict behavior

4. Pursuing an interest in understanding one’s own actions. (Groark, McCarthy, & Kirk, 2014).

Because so many children each day are in some type of childcare center, early childhood classroom, or clinic, it

is vital that caregivers provide appropriate support. Professionals working with young children have the

opportunity to impact all aspects of child development while they are in contact with these children.

According to our course text, “it is essential to understand typical human development because that

understanding assists child caregivers in predicting how a child will learn and progress in developmental

domains” (Groark et al., pg. 3).

Entering my classroom for the first time, as a teacher, I knew how important it was to get to know my

students, to get to know the families, and to reach each child at their own level of development. But I

wondered, how was I going to do this? I started by getting to know my students. I had a bulletin board that

showcased each student for one week. I had them do an “All About Me Bag” where the families filled out

questionnaires. The greatest thing I did was simply talk to my students. This takes only a few days, and I could

tell which students were on typical developing levels and which students would need more help. I could then

begin differentiating my instruction for each child to take them from where they were to where they needed

to be.

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate." ----Anonymous

There are five spheres of development that researchers look at as children develop. Five spheres of development (click on each for more information)

Progress in each of these domains is not isolated; rather, these domains are interdependent on one another (Groark et al., 2014). You must remember that all children develop at different rates that are unpredictable,

http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Motor%20Dev/stages.htm
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/sect2.html
http://www.parentingcounts.org/research/language-communication
http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/social-emotional-development.html
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=676
can stagger, and even regress with no long term effects. Many things can influence a child’s development. For example, the environment, genetics, birth, etc. play major roles in a child’s development. This brings us to the nature vs. nurture debate. The argument comes down to which influence is more predominate in a child’s development. Each of you has probably had an experience or background that leads you to believe one contributes more than the other.

Nature vs. Nurture is:

A major issue in many disciplines including politics and is concerned with the influence that biology, genetics, and overall heredity has along with environmental influences. The questions are: which traits are children born with and which traits are results of experiences? Are some of these innate characteristics changeable or are they fixed? Does our environment have a strong enough influence so that it can change some of the impact of nature’s influences? Can we change our life course trajectory through nurturing, relationships, learning, and experiencing? So the issue is how much does each contribute to an individual and what happens when they combine (Groark et al., p. 12).

There are six developmental stages that child development experts and researchers look at as children develop.

Six Developmental Stages (click on each to find out more).

Oftentimes, assessments must be performed to determine if a child is developing at a typical rate during each of these stages. In child development a child’s actual age is measured by the time in days, months, and years the child has been on earth—this is called the chronological age.

A child is said to have typical development in the above developmental stages if they attain the predicted milestones that are anticipated for their chronological age (Groark et al., 2014 ). Early identification of a child that may not be developing typically is important as early intervention can intervene to delay further

Infancy First year after birth 12 months

Pre-Nata

Prenatal Conception

to birth

Toddlerhood

Ages 1-3

Early Childhood

1-5 Preschool

Age

Adolesence 13-18 years

old

Middle Childhood 6-12 years

old

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/pages/Parenting-Your-Infant.aspx
http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/prenatal-care.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002010.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html
http://www.northshore.org/pediatrics/ages-and-milestones/teenager-13-18-years/
http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=10
developmental delays. There are many different kinds of assessments mentioned in Chapter 1 of your text that can be used to assess children for developmental delays.

Table 1.1 NAEYC’s Principles of Child Development and Learning

1. All areas of development and learning are important. 2. Learning and development follow sequences. 3. Development and learning proceed at varying rates. 4. Development and learning result from an interaction of maturation and experience. 5. Early experiences have profound effects on development and learning. 6. Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation, and symbolic or representational

capacities. 7. Children develop best when they have secure relationships. 8. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts. 9. Children learn in a variety of ways. 10. Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation and promoting language, cognition, and

social competence. 11. Development and learning advance when children are challenged. 12. Children’s experiences shape their motivation and approaches to learning.

(Groark et al., 2014)

As you begin working with young children, you will be able to identify characteristics and behaviors that children display that might be different than other children. Many of these issues need to be observed and even fostered in your care, and most will develop normally on their own. For example, a typically developing four year old may speak in complete sentences while another child may have delayed speech due to constant ear infections. When you mention concerns to parents, oftentimes they already know and understand the problem, but others want a professional to “see what they see”. When approaching the situation with parents, make sure you are respectful, caring, and well intentioned so that the parents trust you and want to build a relationship with you. It is important that you gather as much historical information from the families before you begin working with a child, as they can give genetic, birth, and other illness related experiences the child may have had that can affect development.

Developmental theories provide perspectives for understanding children's development (Groark et al., 2014). These theories provide early childhood professionals with background research that has been observed by researchers and theorists. Summary of Developmental Theories

Theory Associated Theorist(s)

Key Concept(s)

Psychoanalytic Theory

Sigmund Freud • The mind has conscious and unconscious components, with parts interacting to produce the personality.

• Stages of development emphasize sexuality and gratification.

Psychosocial Theory

Erik Erikson • An individual needs to resolve a crisis in each of the eight stages of psychosocial

development in order to progress to the next stage, with outcomes based on how the each crisis is resolved.

Behaviorist Theory

Ivan Pavlov B.F. Skinner Edward Thorndike

• Behavior is the result of associations formed between behavior and positive and negative consequences, or the associations formed between a stimulus and response.

• Behaviorism is based on objective and concrete observations of behavior.

Theory of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget • Children are naturally motivated to learn, and learning occurs by building on a previous understanding of the environment.

• The four stages of cognitive development, the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages, are based on the type of learning that takes place, from the relatively basic to the complex.

Sociocultural Theory

Lev Vygotsky • Social interaction and participation in cultural activities are necessary for healthy development, and children learn through relationships with adults by communicating, playing, and socializing.

• Children learn by going a step further than what their competence is at the time, with a caregiver providing maximum help when they are initially learning, and reducing help as children gain more independence (i.e., scaffolding).

Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura • Children learn vicariously through others in social situations, based on the consequences that others receive.

• A new skill must be performed before learning is complete (i.e., modeling)

Maturational Theory

Arnold Gesell • Genetic and biological systems are the basis for the development of skills according to a normal schedule.

• Genetics determines the timing of a child’s maturation and little can be done to change the pattern of milestone achievement.

Attachment Theory

John Bowlby

• Attachment is a close and enduring bond between a child and a caregiver.

• Based on sensitive and responsive care, a child knows that his or her needs will be met and uses the caregiver as a safe base from which to explore the environment.

• A concept in association with attachment theory, Mary Ainsworth discussed that children can be characterized as having different types of attachment based on interactions with the primary attachment figure.

Ecological Systems Theory

Urie Bronfenbrenner • All contexts in which a child participates (either directly or indirectly), have a unique influence on that child’s development.

• Different contexts, from the closest influences to the most distant influences interact to uniquely affect a child’s development.

Information Processing Theory

Robert Siegler • A theory that deals with brain structures, neural connectors and the processing, storage, organization, and retrieval of information in memory and attention.

• Computer systems and technology contribute to the terminology used in this theory.

Multiple Intelligences Theory

Howard Gardner • There exist different types of intelligence, with a fundamental set of intelligences for all people.

• Each individual has a unique combination of the intelligence types.

(Groark, McCarthy, & Kirk, 2014).

As professionals we use theories to support the way we interact with children. Each of these theories and theorists give great insight and background to child development and learning. Developmental theories are an important guide when working with young children (Groark et al., 2014).

_____________________________________________________________________________

Critical Reflections/Application Opportunities

What theorist do you must closely relate to with your philosophy of working with young children?

Do you believe that understanding child development and how children develop is important to understand?

Start a pin board with different child development activities and or teaching strategies for this course. Find and use whatever fits your

chosen profession. You will then have all of them in one place for you to reference back to.

Spend some time at a local park or classroom and observe children. Do you see differentiation going on? Do you see children who are developing typically, and those that may be at a higher or lower developing rate? How can you tell? What do you see?

Weekly Learning Activities

Take a Closer look at what you need to do!

Week One – Child Development Theory

There will be two discussions this week and an assignment.

Introductory Post – You will need to post your introduction in the Introduction Forum on the first day of class. You will need to respond to at least three of your classmates by Day 7. This is the time to introduce yourself and share your background (personal and professional) with us. Make sure to tell us where you are from, what your degree is, what experience you have with child development and working with children, and any classes you have taken. You can add a picture of yourself if you want us to put a face with a name. Also, add what you hope to learn in this course and future aspirations you have after graduation. You may write a response to this prompt and/or create a web-based poster using images, audio, video, and/or text. Use the poster creation program of your choice. Recommended web-based programs include Glogster and Smore. Guided Response – Please respond to at least three peers. In your response, connect with your peers about similar or different professional aspirations, commonalities in your coursework, and/or experiences working with children. Discussion Week 1 discussion is due in the forum on day 3. You will need to respond to at least two of your classmates by Day 7. For this discussion, read Chapters 1 and 3 from your textbook, in addition to the Week One Instructor Guidance. Chapter 3 in Groark, McCarthy, and Kirk (2014, p. 23-24) provides an overview of the main theories relevant to child development. Remember that the topic of child development will help you in your future professional position. Theorists such as Freud, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson studied child development for decades. Understanding the basic theoretical differences in each theory will deepen your professional knowledge of how young children develop and how that relates to your work with children. To answer the following prompts, please use three sources: Your text and two scholarly sources of your choice.

1. Describe how understanding theories of child development can assist you in your chosen profession. Use specific examples and evidence from the textbook and additional research.  Something to think about: As you begin working with children, what do you need to know

about children? What do you need to know about a child’s development? Why do you need to know this? How will knowing this help?

2. Explain the theories that most closely align with your personal philosophy or approach to child development. Use specific examples to illustrate your perspective.  Explain why this theory aligns with your personal philosophy. For example, what do you agree

with, what do you like in terms of the philosophy, and why is it the best in your opinion?

3. In a graphic organizer of your choice, describe the major differences and similarities of each of the leading child development theories discussed in the textbook. Attach your organizer to your initial discussion post. You could use an MS Word table, a graphic organizer from Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, a mind map (e.g., using Bubble.Us or Coggle), or any other creative software choice that suits your needs for illustrating the comparison.

Guided Response – Please respond to at least two peers. Select peers that have who have chosen a theory that is different than the theory you have chosen. Determine how their chosen theory would relate to your chosen profession. For example: If your peer selected Freud and you selected Erickson, how would psychoanalytic theory relate to your work with children? Respectfully suggest what you believe to be the most important ideas that they will need to know about a child before they can begin working with them and why. Were you surprised by any of the similarities or differences in the theories? If so, why? If not, why not? What were the concepts or ideas that resonated most with you?

Assignment: Nature and Nurture Influences on Child Development Your assignment will be due on Monday Day 7.

For this written assignment, please read Chapter 1 of your textbook and watch the videos from McDowell (n.d.) and Pollack (n.d.).

The debate regarding nature vs. nurture and how it impacts child development has been ongoing for centuries. This debate is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (i.e. nature) or environmental (i.e. nurture) characteristics. Throughout history, researchers have often envisioned nature and nurture as separate and opposing influences. Today, developmental theorists increasingly agree that nature and nurture are interdependent, working dynamically together, in child development (McDevitt, 2010).

You may have your own theories and background that contributes to your thoughts on nature vs. nurture. Your own theories and thoughts will help you formulate your next assignment.

Instructions You will write a well-organized paper using the APA 6th edition guidelines. You will provide an overview of the content and a thesis statement. Your paragraphs will come from the following prompts.  Nature vs. Nurture: Describe the relationship between nature vs. nurture. What do you believe, why do

you believe this? You can provide any background or experience you have on this topic.

http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/igo.htm
http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/igo.htm
https://bubbl.us/
http://coggle.it/
 Child Development Influences: Explain the biological, environmental, societal, and cultural influences on child development in relation to nature vs. nurture. Give examples in your explanation that will enhance what you know and understand about each influence.

 Influential Factor: Discuss which factor, based on research, is more influential than the other. Use at least two scholarly research articles as well as the textbook to support your position. When you take your stance on nature or nurture give an in-depth explanation of which one you believe is more influential and why, and provide resources that agree with your opinion.

Make sure to include in-text citations and a reference page.

Week One Required Resources Groark, C., McCarthy, S. & Kirk, A. (2014). Early Child Development: From Theory to Practice. Bridgepoint

Education: San Diego, CA. • Read Chapters 1 and 3 for Week One.

McDowell, M. (n.d.). What is nature vs. nurture? [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://video.about.com/genealogy/What-Is-Nature-Vs--Nurture-.htm  This approximately three-minute video explores the question of nature vs. nurture through the lens

of Jungian psychologist and molecular biologist Max McDowell. View this video and/or read its transcript for support in completion of the Nature and Nurture Influences on Child Development assignment.

Pollack, S. (n.d.). Nature vs. nurture in child development [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://www.howcast.com/videos/513307-Nature-vs-Nurture-Child-Development  In this approximately 2 minute video, Shirael Pollack, founder of Watch Me Grow, explains what

part of nature and nurture influences child development. View this video for support in completion of the Nature and Nurture Influences on Child Development assignment.

Week 1 Recommended Resources Bubble.US (https://bubbl.us/)

 Bubble.US is a free web-based program for creating mind maps or “relationship” maps. Bubble.US is an option to consider when you are asked to or recommended to create a mind-map, such as in the Theoretical Knowledge and Professional Practice discussion.

Coggle. (http://coggle.it/)

 Coggle is a free web-based program for creating mind maps or “relationship” maps. Coggle is an option to consider when you are asked to or recommended to create a mind-map, such as in the Theoretical Knowledge and Professional Practice discussion.

Glogster. (http://www.glogster.com/)

 Glogster is a free web-based program for creating online posters or flyers using text and other multimedia. Glogster is an option to consider when you are asked to or recommended to create a web-based poster, such as in the Post Your Introduction discussion from Week One.

http://video.about.com/genealogy/What-Is-Nature-Vs--Nurture-.htm
http://video.about.com/genealogy/What-Is-Nature-Vs--Nurture-.htm%23vdTrn
http://www.howcast.com/videos/513307-Nature-vs-Nurture-Child-Development
https://bubbl.us/
http://coggle.it/
http://www.glogster.com/
Smore (https://www.smore.com/)  Smore is a free web-based program for creating online posters and flyers using text and other

multimedia. Smore is an option to consider when you are asked to or recommended to create a web-based poster, such as in our Post Your Introduction discussion from Week One.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2014). Parenting your infant. Retrieved from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/pages/Parenting-Your-Infant.aspx

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Toddlers (1-2 years of age). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Preschoolers (3-5 years of age). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html

Cherry, Kendra. (2014). Stages of prenatal development. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/prenataldevelop.htm

Groark, C., McCarthy, S. & Kirk, A. (2014). Early Child Development: From Theory to Practice. Bridgepoint Education: San Diego, CA.

Lynch, S. and Simpson, C. (2008). Those important self-help skills. Early Childhood News Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=676

Medline Plus (2014). Toddler development. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002010.htm

Motor Development. (n.d). Motor development stages. Retrieved from http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Motor%20Dev/stages.htm

Office of Women’s Health, U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d). Prenatal care factsheet. Retrieved from http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact- sheet/prenatal-care.html

Parenting Counts. (2014). Communication and language development- How children communicate: research articles. Retrieved from http://www.parentingcounts.org/research/language-communication

The White House. (n.d). Good start, grow smart: The bush administration's early childhood initiative- The importance of early childhood cognitive development. Retrieved from

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/sect2.html

https://www.smore.com/
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/pages/Parenting-Your-Infant.aspx
ttp://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/pages/Parenting-Your-I
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html
http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/prenataldevelop.htm
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=676
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002010.htm
http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Motor%20Dev/stages.htm
http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/prenatal-care.html
ttp://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-p
http://www.parentingcounts.org/research/language-communication
http://www.parentingcounts.org/research/language-communication
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/sect2.html
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/sect2.html
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/sect2.html
Zero to Three. (2012). Development of social-emotional skills. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/social-emotional- development.html

Additional Materials

Understanding Development

5 Gross Motor Activities for Children

Early Childhood Fine Motor

Your Child’s Self-Help Skills

ABC’s Of Child Development

http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/social-emotional-development.html
ttp://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/social-e
http://www3.bucksiu.org/page/1184
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMnbgS6Xp6I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hBFcH2UyhQ
http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/playtime/parenting/articlesandadvice/articledetail.html?article=tcm:169-25216
http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/
ECE 205 Child Development
Week One Instructor Guidance
Pat Yourself on the Back for starting this course!
“When dealing with children there is greater need for observing than of probing.”
-Maria Montessori
Overview of the Learning Week
Progress in each of these domains is not isolated; rather, these domains are interdependent on one another (Groark et al., 2014). You must remember that all children develop at different rates that are unpredictable, can stagger, and even regress with...
Nature vs. Nurture is:
A major issue in many disciplines including politics and is concerned with the influence that biology, genetics, and overall heredity has along with environmental influences. The questions are: which traits are children born with and which traits are ...
There are six developmental stages that child development experts and researchers look at as children develop.
Six Developmental Stages (click on each to find out more).
Oftentimes, assessments must be performed to determine if a child is developing at a typical rate during each of these stages. In child development a child’s actual age is measured by the time in days, months, and years the child has been on earth—thi...
A child is said to have typical development in the above developmental stages if they attain the predicted milestones that are anticipated for their chronological age (Groark et al., 2014 ). Early identification of a child that may not be developing t...
Table 1.1 NAEYC’s Principles of Child Development and Learning
(Groark, McCarthy, & Kirk, 2014).
As professionals we use theories to support the way we interact with children. Each of these theories and theorists give great insight and background to child development and learning. Developmental theories are an important guide when working with yo...
_____________________________________________________________________________
Weekly Learning Activities
Take a Closer look at what you need to do!
Week One – Child Development Theory
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2014). Parenting your infant. Retrieved from
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/pages/Parenting-Your-Infant.aspx
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Toddlers (1-2 years of age). Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Preschoolers (3-5 years of age).
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html
Cherry, Kendra. (2014). Stages of prenatal development. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/prenataldevelop.htm
Groark, C., McCarthy, S. & Kirk, A. (2014). Early Child Development: From Theory to
Practice. Bridgepoint Education: San Diego, CA.
Lynch, S. and Simpson, C. (2008). Those important self-help skills. Early Childhood News
Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=676
Medline Plus (2014). Toddler development. Retrieved
from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002010.htm
Motor Development. (n.d). Motor development stages. Retrieved from
http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Motor%20Dev/stages.htm
Office of Women’s Health, U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d).
Prenatal care factsheet. Retrieved from http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/prenatal-care.html
Parenting Counts. (2014). Communication and language development- How children communicate: research articles. Retrieved from
http://www.parentingcounts.org/research/language-communication
The White House. (n.d). Good start, grow smart: The bush administration's early childhood initiative- The importance of early childhood cognitive development. Retrieved from
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/sect2.html
Zero to Three. (2012). Development of social-emotional skills. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/social-emotional-development/social-emotional-development.html
Additional Materials
Understanding Development