Chapter Contents
Developmental Milestones (0-5 years)
Babies develop physically at a rapid rate, and there are many physical milestones in the first year of life. The pace of change slows after this, but there continue to be many new goals. Every child will develop at their own pace, and small delays are often not a concern, but if you are worried about any developmental delays, please talk with your supervising social worker.
Read about what to expect at different ages here: Milestones
If a child is not meeting their developmental milestones, this may be an indicator of a specific problem or a global developmental delay. Please report any concerns to your supervising social worker for discussion with the local authority and your local health services.
Children with developmental delay or specific disabilities may be referred to a paediatrician and may need physiotherapy, occupational therapy or other specialised service.
Puberty and the Adolescent Brain
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical maturation, when the child becomes a young adult and reaches sexual maturity. Children will typically start puberty between the ages of 9 and 14, and usually girls reach puberty before boys. The changes during puberty affect:
- Physical growth and development
- The brain and thought processes
- Relationships and feelings
Puberty can be a challenging time for young people, and changes to the body can trigger emotional responses and sometimes mental health conditions such as eating disorders and anxiety. Acne, oily hair, increased perspiration and body odour can cause young people to feel self-conscious and affect self-esteem. They will need reassurance and respect for privacy during these times and you might need to advocate for them with health and/or mental health services for young people. Young people whose gender identity does not match their sex may experience particular distress as their body changes in ways that they do not wish to happen, and you may need to ask for a referral to a gender identity service to support them during this time.
Early or delayed puberty
Signs of puberty include girls growing breasts and starting periods, and boys developing a larger penis and testicles, a deeper voice and a more muscular appearance. There will also be an increase in the growth of body hair.
If there are signs of puberty before the age of 8, or if there are no signs after the age of 14, the NHS advise seeking advice from the GP. In some cases, it may be a sign of an underlying condition and may need to be treated. Information about possible concerns can be found here: Early or delayed puberty – NHS
Brain development
During puberty, the brain undergoes significant changes that affect thoughts, emotions and behaviour. These are influenced by hormones and a structural reorganisation of neural connections. Key changes include:
- A rapid growth in neural connections and then pruning when unused connections are removed. The brain becomes more efficient and communication between brain regions improves.
- Thinking becomes more flexible and teenagers can adapt to new situations and begin to learn from experiences.
- The brain’s reward system becomes more sensitive, leading teenagers to seek new and rewarding experiences (which may be risky)
- The prefrontal cortex that manages decision-making, planning and impulse control begins to develop (slowly) and is the last part of the brain to reach maturity, often in the mid-20s. This is why teenagers are often impulsive.
- The emotional centres of the brain are more active, leading to intense mood swings and difficulty regulating feelings
There are some gender differences in brain development, and it has been noted that differences in mood regulation may explain why anxiety and depression are more common in girls during adolescence.
There is an interesting article about the brain during puberty here: Your Brain on Puberty · Frontiers for Young Minds
Encouraging Development
Babies and toddlers
Gross and fine motor skills develop incrementally throughout childhood, starting with sensory exploration as babies, and developing strength, spatial awareness and co-ordination through tummy time and movement in play. This development comes through play with toys as well as with adults.
Activities that help babies and toddlers develop physically include:
- Feeding and dressing themselves
- climbing – over people or objects
- fitting into small spaces, crawling through tunnels
- rolling and reaching
- throwing and catching
- Squeezing (e.g. wet play with sponges)
- Sand play
- Painting and drawing, or chalk boards
- Picking up small objects/placing them in pots or holes
Incorporate physical play at regular intervals in the child’s daily routine. Many everyday routine activities can involve physical play, e.g. going for a walk, bath time, making food.
Children and young people
Children will develop preferences for particular physical play (and this may include sporting activity). Encourage their skill development in these preference areas, but also try to include a variety of physical activities to promote the key aspects of physical health:
- Muscles and bones (cycling, climbing, dance, helping with the gardening)
- Heart and lungs (brisk walking, running, swimming, tennis, skipping)
- Co-ordination (skipping, football, dance, yoga)
Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day (outside of school).
Children and young people will also continue to benefit from opportunities to play with adults in ways that they did when younger. Many will still enjoy the fun of playing with sand or water, hide and seek, throwing and catching and these are good alternatives to online gaming (which does offer benefits for hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skill).
