Child development is a broad term that entails many milestones. A newborn and an 8 year old are at very different stages in development, and for this reason child development has been broken up into 5 distinct stages: 

Birth to 18 months: children can learn to identify familiar faces and respond to facial expressions. They also have the ability to learn some words, stand, and walk by themselves.

18 months to 3 years: children can start pretend play and play with other children!

3 years to 5 years: children can start to express their likes, learn to count, and identify numbers. They also have the ability to play on their own. 

5 years to 12 years: This is the age where children start grade school. Here they are able to develop their problem solving skills. They also can build close friendships and develop personal interests!

12 years to 18 years: This is the stage where adolescents start to grow their independence. They begin puberty, develop their own opinions and start to become interested in dating. 

There are many milestones children and adolescents reach in the time of child development. These milestones refer to behaviors that mark stages of growth. It’s very important to remember that children develop at their own pace, and two children might not reach a specific milestone at the same time. Some milestones children reach are repeating familiar songs, remembering faces and names, and sorting shapes and colors. 

If you’re concerned that your child is developmentally delayed it’s helpful to get them screened for any potential issues. 

If you want to read more about child developmental stages and potential signs/causes of developmental delays read here!

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS

Childhood can be a time of fun for children, but it’s also a time of learning. It’s always beneficial that those around children try to help facilitate their learning to their best ability, but how do you do that?

Carefully choosing and prompting your words can help to facilitate learning, support rich thinking, and support conversations about deeper topics. You can do this by asking purposeful questions that prompt your child to make connections between an event or experience in the past and current events or experiences in the present. 

Try to start with just one or two questions once a day, overtime these types of questions will feel natural to ask. Intentional teaching practice can significantly improve the quality of learning, now matter how old you are! Here are some prompts you can try out:

• Is this what you expected to happen? How so?
• Would you like to share your ideas?
• How did you figure that out?
• Take a moment to think, and let me know your thoughts 

If you want to keep reading, click here! 

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is…True or false: pretend play is an important part of cognitive development.

A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was “There are 4 types of parenting styles; which style type is defined as parents who encourage independence with limits, parents who are warm and nurturing, and are correlated with a child’s social competence, social responsibility, and self-reliance?” The answer is authoritative!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

There are a variety of reasons as to why your child might be non-verbal; whether they have Autism Spectrum Disorder, are pre-verbal, or have delayed verbal skills. Regardless, it is still important to be able to communicate with your child. There are multiple ways to communicate with your non-verbal child, however, if possible, it may be beneficial to speak to a professional to see what ways work best for you and your child.

It’s important to note that these are supplemental ways to communicate, and they shouldn’t be used to replace any form of speech therapy. The first way is to keep talking to your child and try to include them in conversations, and refrain from speaking about them as if they aren’t there. 

It’s helpful to pay attention to signs and behaviors. Spoken words are only a part of daily communication, there are a lot of other ways people communicate besides speaking. An example is body language, such as pointing, or facial expressions.

Another way to supplement communication is to take a pause after speaking. This means that it might be helpful to act like you’re having a spoken conversation, by pausing you’re allowing your child to react and/or communicate in a way that they can. 

If you’re interested in reading about other ways to communicate with your non-verbal child, click

https://www.verywellfamily.com/communicating-with-a-nonverbal-child-4177579

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS

 

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesdays!

This weeks question is… There are 4 types of parenting styles; which style type is defined as parents who encourage independence with limits, parents who are warm and nurturing, and are correlated with childs social competence, social responsibility, and self reliance?

A. Authoritarian
B. Authoritative
C. Neglectful
D. Permissive

Last weeks question was…”True or false: Albert Bandura’s social learning theory states that observational learning plays a primary role in how/why people learn.” The answer was true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

 

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is… True or false: Albert Bandura’s social learning theory states that observational learning plays a primary role in how/why people learn.

A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was…”True or false: object permanence is a milestone in childhood development in which children understand that an object exists even when it’s not visible” The answer is true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

Being a new parent can be both exciting and extremely nerve wracking at the same time. Truthfully there is no “right” way to do things and there isn’t going to be a miracle solution. If you are a new parent, hopefully a few words of encouragement can help put your mind at ease. 

The most important thing to remember is that there is no ideal or perfect parent. With that being said here are some encouraging words from real parents:

“Trust your instincts more than what others will tell you ‘is the right thing to do’”

“Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. Being a parent doesn’t always mean that your kids are happy with you. Being your kids biggest fan is the most important part of the job! Choose your battles carefully, making sure it is really worth the fight.”

“Do not judge other parents (and their parenting styles) and their kids. You have no idea what goes on in their life. Also, make sure you keep your other identities in life- as wife, friend, employee, etc.”

If you want to read more quotes from real parents, or add your own advice, read here! https://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/words-of-wisdom-for-new-parents-from-real-parents

Kaitlyn Vitucci, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

The teen years can be difficult for both the parents and teenagers themselves. Teenagers naturally start to develop some sense of independence, and this can make parenting especially difficult. While teenagers start to explore new activities and find themselves they naturally start to pull away, however it’s still important to maintain a healthy parent-child relationship. With this in mind, there are a few ways to help!

One of the most important things is to validate their feelings. Rather than simply trying to give solutions or tell them whatever they’re upset about isn’t a big deal, just listen to them and give them an understanding ear. This makes it a lot easier for the teen themselves to confide in their parental figure. 

Parents typically set the rules and boundaries for their teens, and sometimes the teens don’t listen, regardless it’s important to explain your rules and why they’re set in place. This can give a sense of respect and understanding between the parent and child. 

It’s not uncommon for teens to have emotional outbursts, or anyone of any age, but it’s important for the parent to control their emotions in response. It might be easier for an adult to control their emotions and emotional responses, so it’s crucial to calm down before responding. If you find that you might need some more time to cool down, take a break and talk about the issue at hand at a better time. 

Hopefully some of these tips helped and if you’re interested in reading click here!

https://childmind.org/article/tips-communicating-with-teen/

Kaitlyn Vitucci, Research Assistant UConn KIDS

 

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

This weeks question is…True or false: Object permanence is a milestone in childhood development in which children understand that an object exists even when it’s not visible

A. True
B. False

Last weeks question was…”True or false: There are multiple types of development milestones children go through- some sensory development, ex. A sense of smell, begins in utero” The answer is true!

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this weeks question!

Although risky play can be a bit dangerous and be nerve wracking to watch, children not only love it but they seek it out. There are six categories of risky play, as defined in the article: great heights, rapid speeds, dangerous tools, dangerous elements, rough and tumble, and disappearing/getting lost. But the main question is: why do children desire to engage in such risky behavior?

From an evolutionary perspective, risky play is beneficial because one of the most significant functions is to regulate fear and anger. While engaging in risky behaviors, young children put themselves in positions of fear at manageable levels. This teaches them that they can manage their fear and overcome it. On top of this, children might experience anger but must overcome it in order to keep playing. 

Even though allowing your child to engage in risky play is worrying, it’s extremely beneficial and important that they do. Children are capable of knowing their own limits and not attempting something they don’t feel ready to do. All in all, the benefits of risky play far outweigh the potential risks.

To read more, click here!

Kaitlyn Vitucci
Research Assistant, UConn KIDS