Do you ever wonder if your child’s behavior is normal, just part of a phase? Before you become too concerned it’s important to know if your child’s behaviors are just one of his/her important and normal developmental tasks. Being aware of these tasks should reassure you that your child’s development is normal and likely to change again soon. Parents should know that a behavior “problem” often lasts more than 6 months, happens in more than one place consistently, and appears as a pattern. When you are questioning your child’s behavior it’s helpful to ask yourself, are you expecting too much or too little? Then, keep the following information in mind.
- Normal developmental tasks, listed below
- External factors; family stress, parenting style, environment
- Internal factors; temperament, biological vulnerability Piaget’s Sensorimotor Period (Birth to 2 years) 0-1 years
- Trust of caregiver/parent
- Forming a secure attachment now is critical for later years
- World view is expanding 1-3 years
- Focus Oriented, can now experience outrage
- Self-control/self-management are key
- Impulses are out of control
- Parallel play normal
- Peers are competitors or providers
- Perspective taking is just beginning
- Able to learn cause and effect
- Thinking is relatively concrete Piaget’s Preoperational Period (2-7 years) 2-5 years
- During the first five years of life, children are egocentric — they can only see their own perspective
- Increasing ability to tolerate frustration and to delay gratification • Important for them to say NO, allows them to have feeling of control
- Normal to have focused aggression
- Play is critical, imaginary friends are useful and normal
- External to internal control begins to develop/ more able to self-regulate
- Socialization learned; learning what is socially appropriate
- Language development
- Gender identity 5-7 years
- A very sensitive time for child when making mistakes
- Parent needs to allow mistakes and help teach that mistakes are opportunities to learn
- Parents can have influences setting cultural bias
- Parent can begin to plants seeds for empathy, through modeling Piaget’s Period of Concrete Operations (7-11 years) 6-12 years
- Latency, this period sexual and aggressive drives diminish
- Generally a stable period
- Beginning of our continuous memory/Can begin to develop expectations
- Most memories are happy
- Adaptive functions solidified, habits and patterns develop now
- Child is often able to organize and get along on their own
- Social skills and ego functions develop now
- Peer relationships are key
- Develop “social markers” or labels i.e.: fat, left-handed
- Mastery is important, being good at something is critical
- Interest in the outside world Important tasks during latency
- Friendships
- Self control (body, emotions)
- Mastery of environment
- Clear distinction between public and private life (secrets)
- External and internal life (fantasy)
- Reassuring during this period to know there is a “Higher Authority”
- Hobbies and organized collections offer opportunity for control, organization and order
- Personality traits develop now 8-9 years
- Competition enables self evaluation
- Peer rivalry
- Clear gender barriers in spite of efforts to avoid
- Able to be both caring and mean
- Teasing between sexes important — helps set boundaries Piaget’s Period of Formal Operations (12 and Up) 12-18 years
- Social and moral development
- Rebellion, self identity or expression
- They want to be trusted Parents, if you suspect a behavior problem, it is important to get a thorough evaluation.
Through a psychological evaluation you can rule-out many problems affecting our children, including learning disabilities, ADHD, behavioral disorders, anxiety, or developmental disorders. A professional evaluation will lead to an accurate diagnosis which will lead to appropriate treatment.