Child Development And Communication

Question 1

Define the biological idea of attachment in terms of child development.

Answer 1

Attachment is a biologically based system that functions to maintain proximity to the infants care-giver.

Question 2

What behaviours are children predisposed to display as a result of attachment?

Answer 2

Proximity seeking behaviour

Contact maintaining behaviour

Question 3

Around what age will children show signs of distress in the absence of ‘key people’?

Answer 3

Around 7-8 months

Question 4

What is the importance of attachment?

Answer 4

Attachment allows the infant to form a relationship with their primary care giver.

Question 5

When is the critical period for first attachment?

Answer 5

During first year

Question 6

During what period can separation cause problems to arise?

Answer 6

During first 4 years

Question 7

What 3 phases can be seen in the behaviour of children separated from their primary care giver?

Answer 7

Protest (distress, look for mother)

Despair (withdrawn, signs of helplessness)

Detachment (more interested in surroundings, apathetic upon return of career)

Question 8

What are the second two phases often mistaken for?

Answer 8

Recovery

Question 9

What behavioural changes can be caused by separation?

Answer 9

Anxiety / aggression / clinging

Bed wetting

Detachment

Question 10

What physical effects can separation have on children?

Answer 10

Less sleep

Depression

Less play

Question 11

Separation at what age can cause the most distress?

Answer 11

6 months to 3 years

Question 12

What implications may separation have on health outcomes?

Answer 12

Decreased adherence to treatment

Worse experience of pain if anxiety is high

Patients may suffer from adverse effects of stress

Question 13

Give examples of good practice in hospitals to avoid the adverse effects separation

Answer 13

Allow parental/carer access

Allow attachment objects

Reassure child they are not being punished

Make environment like home

Provide stimulating toys

High quality substitute care

Continuity of staff

Question 14

What are the four stages of Piaget’s childhood development model, and at what ages do they occur?

Answer 14

Sensorimotor (0-2)

Pre-operational (2-7)

Concrete operational (7-12)

Formal operational (12+)

Question 15

What are the features of the Sensorimotor stage?

Answer 15

Experience world through senses

Development of motor co-ordination

No abstract concepts

Develop awareness of where they ‘end’ and the world starts

Develop understanding of permanence around 8 months (understand that objects out of sight continue to exist)

Question 16

What are the features of the Pre-operational stage?

Answer 16

Development of language, symbolic though, able to imagine things

Egocentricism - difficulty seeing things from other people’s points of view

Lack concept of conservation

Classification by single feature

Question 17

What are the features of the Concrete operational stage?

Answer 17

Think logically, but concrete rather than abstract

Understand conservation of number, mass, and weight

Can classify things by multiple features

Able to see things from another’s perspective

Question 18

What are the features of the Formal operational stage?

Answer 18

Abstract logic

Hypothetic-deductive reasoning

Question 19

Outline Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development.

Answer 19

Cognitive development requires social interaction

Child learns as an ‘apprentice’, through shared problem solving

With able instruction, the child can achieve some increase in understanding (x+1)

There needs to be focus on the zone of proximal development (the +1 bit) i.e. The people around them

Question 20

How can communication with children be improved?

Answer 20

Adapt consultation style to capacity of the child.

Younger children will not understand abstract concepts.

Some children may have a good knowledge of their condition if they are exposed to it regularly.

Use parents/carers to help communicate if appropriate

Use toys to catch attention or explain concepts