A loving home nurtures early childhood development. From ambulation to socialization to learning, numerous aspects of a child’s personality change rapidly. What the child becomes during those sunrise years determines the course of life. Let’s talk about the key areas of childhood development, what they involve, and where you can go in Tampa, FL, for comprehensive pediatric care.
What You and Your Child’s Physician in Tampa, FL, Monitor
Your child’s pediatrician will discuss and monitor how your youngster is growing and developing. How is the child changing, and are those changes in line with what others of the same age? What Are the Key Areas for Early Childhood Development?
There are four areas of early childhood development. Not cut and dry, these areas vary somewhat from family to family and from child to child.
For instance, one child may walk at 11 months of age, and another, not until 15 months. However, despite the difference in timing, both children walk normally, acquiring the strength, coordination, endurance, and balance necessary for ambulation.
However, if a child is extremely late in achieving an early childhood developmental milestone–such as talking or walking–or misses a stage altogether, he or she needs professional evaluation. That’s where your child’s physician in Tampa, FL, comes in.
Here are the four key areas of early childhood development:
- Cognitive, or brain development
- Social and emotional development
- Language
- Physical
These areas may happen in a textbook fashion, or there may be mild delays or even regression as your child changes from a newborn to an infant to a toddler and beyond to a preschooler and school-age child. Regardless, your pediatrician in Palm Harbor, FL, functions as your attentive partner in tracking your child’s development and the factors influencing it.
Here’s more about what each development area involves.
Cognitive
This area involves how the brain is functioning and learning. Does your child solve problems the way others his age do? Does follow simple instructions and remember details, names, and places? Does play progress in terms of curiosity and creativity?
Social And Emotional
This involves a child’s ability to relate to others in the home, school, and childcare environment. Does she look for and develop relationships? Are responses to frustration appropriate? Is he learning to obey, be open in communication, and please loved ones?
Physical
Babies, toddlers, and young children gain strength, coordination, balance, and cardiovascular endurance rapidly as they learn to reach, roll over, walk, run, dress themselves, grasp and use small tools, etc. These areas of development are related to heredity, environment, and other factors, but their absence can be cause for concern.
Language
Children progress from cooing to babbling to single words and beyond. When sentences and paragraphs form, language development skyrockets along with the ability and desire to understand and communicate with peers, siblings, parents, and significant others.
Developmental Screening at Children’s Medical Center in The Tampa, FL, Area
If you are wondering if your child is on track developmentally, don’t hesitate to book a consultation with one of our doctors. The well-child visit allows parents to discuss early childhood development with their child’s physician. A developmental milestone checklist and questionnaire is just one of many tools your pediatrician uses to identify stages, changes, and differences your child may be experiencing. Our doctors also refer parents to specialists in child development who can help identify and strengthen deficits and disabilities.
To know more, call us today at (727) 787-6335. We have offices in Palm Harbor, Trinity, Westchase, and Lutz, FL.
