Child Development

Question 1

Why are the last 3 months of pregnancy and the first two years of life so important in a child’s development?

Answer 1

The brain is developing within the primary relationship.

Question 2

Name 3 events or issues that can negatively impact a child’s emotional development.

Answer 2

Poverty, stress, family breakdown, anxiety in primary carers life events, etc.

Question 3

Name the 4 Vital Relational Functions (sometimes termed Kohut’s Vital Parenting Functions) that are key to securing a strong emotional relationship.

Answer 3

Attunement, Soothing/Regulating, Validating the subjective experience and Containing.

Question 4

Name the 4 (sometimes 5) attributes that Dan Hughes recommends for the attitude of the adult towards the child (for emotional and social development).

Answer 4

PLACE: Playful, Loving, Accepting, Curious and Empathetic.

Question 5

Why is ‘holding a child in mind’ important for children who have experienced a lot of change and Loss?

Answer 5

This supports the child’s sense of continuous self/continuity of being.

Question 6

Why is the adult-child relationship so central to a child’s emotional and social development?

Answer 6

The brain is shaped in this attachment relationship; the quality of the experience of early relationships shapes the child’s sense of self and their expectations of others in relation to themselves